For Cinco Paul, Schmigadoon! on Broadway Is 25 Years in the Making

When Cinco Paul first had the idea for Schmigadoon!, he envisioned it on the stage. More than 25 years after the first seeds were planted, the Emmy winner's musical parody has come full circle; evolving from a hit series on Apple TV+ into a full-fledged Broadway stage adaptation for which he wrote the book, music and lyrics. Capturing the charm of the series’ first season, this Schmigadoon! is still a hilariously heartfelt homage to Golden Age musicals—but now it comes to life right before the eyes of the audience. This concept, which Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek notes no one has attempted before, is just one of many topics discussed in their sit down interview.

Schmigadoon!, starring Alex Brightman and Sara Chase, follows New York doctors Josh and Melissa on a couples’ backpacking retreat as they attempt to rekindle the flame. When they suddenly find themselves trapped in a town where everyone behaves as though they’re in a Golden Age musical, the only escape is to find true love. This premise allows Paul to riff on everything he loved most from theater’s Golden Age, while still infusing his own personal connections to the material. “My mom was definitely the inspiration for my love of musical theater,” says Paul. “I had the idea for Schmigadoon! over 25 years ago. I had thought of it, ‘Oh, this will be a stage musical,’ but then I wrote one song and then got busy with my screenwriting career and sort of set it aside.”

Decades later, the concept returned; first as a television series and now as the stage musical Paul had originally envisioned. This is my dream show,” he says. “The one I wish existed.” Not only does it exist, but it has come to life with a full cast and creative team. Directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, who also choreographed the Apple TV+ series, Schmigadoon! begins performances at the Nederlander Theatre on April 4. The limited engagement is scheduled to run through September 6.

Unlike the typical romantic comedy which ends when the main pairing finally becomes a couple, Schmigadoon! begins with a relationship in peril. “There just aren’t enough stories about couples trying to work things out,” Paul says. “Most rom-coms end where ours begins.” That emotional core, he adds, is drawn directly from his own life. “There's so much of me and my relationship with my wife in this show.”

While the musical is packed with references for Broadway aficionados, Paul assures audiences that the comedy and storytelling work even if you’re not tapped into the musical theater references. “There’s a whole other level for the weirdos like you and I who know our Broadway shows backwards and forwards,” he says. “But the idea is that we all generally kind of know The Sound of Music and we know the tropes and we know old timey stuff.” For those who aren’t as well acquainted, not to worry. “Josh is a character who hates musicals,” says Paul. “So he's our way in for the people out there who are not big show fans.”

For fans of the series who were disappointed when Schmigadoon! ended after two seasons, all hope may not be lost. The planned third season storyline, titled “Into the Schmuds,” would have parodied the mega-musicals of the 1980s, including The Phantom of the Opera and Cats. “We wrote the whole season,” Paul reveals. “25 songs.” For now, the scripts and songs remain unseen and unheard. But Paul hasn’t ruled out the possibility of revisiting them. “If Schmigadoon! on Broadway is successful enough, maybe Apple will take another look,” he says. No pressure, ticket buyers!

Even as Schmigadoon! makes its way to the stage, Paul is already developing another musical. “I have one in the works. It’s a musical about teenage Mary Magdalene getting a crush on teenage Jesus.” The working title, Sweet Jesus, is being developed with writer Bekah Brunstetter, who penned the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of The Notebook.

For now, though, Paul is focused on seeing his original dream realized: a stage version of Schmigadoon! that celebrates the joy, heart and unabashed theatricality of Broadway musicals. “This is the show I always wanted to exist,” he said. And now, it finally does.

Watch the full interview below!

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