The starry cast includes Cecily Strong, Keegan Michael-Key, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit, Dove Cameron, Ariana DeBose, Fred Armisen, Jaime Camil, Jane Krakowski, and Ann Harada. “Schmigadoon!” centers on Strong and Key as a couple, named Melissa and Josh, who strike out while on a backpacking trip attempting to revivify their relationship. They wind up stumbling into a magical mystery town where everyone appears to be possessed by the song and dance of 1940s musicals. (That title, “Schmigadoon!,” is of course a cheeky spin on the classic 1947 musical “Brigadoon,” about a Scottish village gone mad with song and dance.)
“There’s a whole tone to the show, which is both real, but very theatrical,” director Barry Sonnenfeld said during the TCA panel for the series back in February, in reference to casting multitalented song-and-dance actors. “So the acting has to be both theatrical and real. And we were very lucky that everyone was able to pull that off as well.” Cumming plays the town’s mayor, Mayor Menlove, while Harada stars as his oblivious wife. Armisen, meanwhile, shows up as a religious leader, with Chenoweth portraying his busybody wife. Tveit plays the town’s bad boy, who is trying to woo Melissa, while Cameron plays a farmer’s daughter smitten with Josh. Camil stars as the town’s cold-hearted doctor and Krakowski as his wife. From Broadway Video and Universal Television, “Schmigadoon!” is co-created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, who were the screenwriters of “Despicable Me.” Paul is serving as showrunner, in addition to writing all of the original music for the series. Sonnenfeld directs in addition to executive-producing the show, with Strong as a producer, Daurio as a consulting producer and writer, and Andrew Singer executive producing with Lorne Michaels for Broadway Video. Watch the trailer below, and look out for the show this July.
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