Orphans for Sale and Group Nudity: What Happened in the 3rd Episode of Schmigadoon! Season 2, Schmicago?

Welcome to Schmicago, the fictional city at the center of the second season of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio鈥檚 musical comedy TV series Schmigadoon! The first season, which premiered in the summer of 2022 on , followed a modern couple, Josh and Melissa (played by Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong), who have grown complacent in their relationship. On a couple鈥檚 retreat in the woods, they stumble upon the magical town of Schmigadoon as it appears from the fog (Like Brigadoon, get it?). They are trapped there, inside a world of Golden Age musicals, and cannot escape until they find true love.

In season two, Josh and Melissa are trapped in Schmicago, inspired by the grittier and darker musicals of the mid-'60s and '70s. Our dynamic duo is tasked with finding a happy ending, which could be a tall order when dealing with plots inspired by such shows as Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

半岛体育 is back to walk you through all of the references from every episode of Schmigadoon!'s second season, which debuted with a double episode drop April 5鈥攇et caught up with the recap of those episodes here.

But now, on to episode three!

The Moment Before: Josh, falsely imprisoned for the murder of Kratt Klub showgirl Elsie Vale, decides to head out with a band of hippies (they crash their happiness bus into the cell he鈥檚 been sharing with hippie leader Topher). Back at the Kratt Klub, Melissa has gotten a job as a showgirl so she can look for clues that might lead to Elsie鈥檚 real killer. She finds the address 鈥�17 Quick Street鈥� in Elsie鈥檚 notebook鈥攃ould this be the clue that makes it all make sense?

Episode 3: Bells and Whistles

Logan: Wanted signs are going up for Josh all around Schmicago, which is also giving us a glimpse of some local shops named for the composers whose musicals are being satirized this season. I spotted 鈥淪ondheim鈥檚 Children鈥檚 Playthings鈥� (thanks, Cinco, for the of that one!), 鈥淪chwartz Happy Family Portraits,鈥� 鈥淗erman鈥檚 Hummable Tunes,鈥� and 鈥淓bb and Co. Apothecary.鈥� (Well, Ebb was a lyricist. But I digress).

Speaking of digressions, we have to talk further about 鈥淗erman鈥檚 Hummable Tunes鈥� before we even get into the plot of this week鈥檚 episode. This is referencing some true Broadway beef that all theatre fans should know. So in this era of musical theatre鈥攑articularly the 1970s鈥擲ondheim was dominating the scene, debuting a series of musicals that totally transformed the art form. Gone were the days of easily entertaining melodies, often devised as much for a show鈥檚 plot as it was for the radio airwaves. Sondheim brought an operatic-like obsession with storytelling to his music and focused far more on that than his songs becoming radio hits. As a result, he was often criticized for writing songs that were 鈥渦n-hummable.鈥� Sondheim even satirized this directly in Merrily We Roll Along鈥檚鈥淥pening Doors,鈥� which he鈥檚 on the record saying is the closest thing to autobiographical writing in his entire catalogue.

Cut to the 1984 Tony Awards. At this point, Sondheim already has five Tony Awards to his name for his music and lyrics, and Sunday in the Park With George could earn him a sixth (the show went on to become the rare musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, but that鈥檚 beside the point here). Amongst the show鈥檚 competition that year is La Cage Aux Folles, with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. Herman is best known for shows like Hello, Dolly! and Mame, kind of the ultimate 鈥渉appy鈥� musicals. Go see a Herman show, and you can count on a rousing march or two, along with timeless and ever-so hummable songs like 鈥淧ut On Your Sunday Clothes,鈥� 鈥淲e Need a Little Christmas,鈥� and 鈥淏efore the Parade Passes By.鈥� But La Cage was not as easily entertaining as some of Herman鈥檚 earlier work. Based on a French comedy, the musical told what was, for 1984 Broadway, a pretty edgy story about a professional drag queen and his husband whose son marries into a conservative family.

Back to the 1984 Tony Awards. Larry Kert (Sondheim鈥檚 original Tony in West Side Story and the first replacement Bobby in Company, no less!) is announcing the winner for Best Original Score, which turns out to be Herman. And he begins his acceptance speech saying, 鈥淭his award forever shatters a myth about the musical theatre. There鈥檚 been a rumor around for a couple of years that the simple, hummable showtune was no longer welcome on Broadway. Well, it鈥檚 alive and well at The Palace [Theatre, home to La Cage鈥檚 original production].鈥�

The shade! A Broadway rivalry became official, giving birth to many of those fiercely held theatre ~~facts~~ opinions we talked about last week鈥攁s you can tell from the nearly 500 words I just banged out about it! Talaura, you talk now.

Talaura: Well, that鈥檚 all we have time for! Thanks for coming, everybody!

So, yes. Leading Player Tituss gets us caught up with the Wanted posters and a short reprise of 鈥淲elcome to Schmicago.鈥� Melissa rushes into Bobbie鈥檚 office with her new clue (the Quick Street address in Elsie Vale鈥檚 date book).

But let鈥檚 talk costumes here real quick. This feels like the first time Melissa is in something she chooses to wear. We鈥檝e seen her in her own red coat and in costumes for the cabaret, but now she鈥檚 in day clothes from the Schmicago world. And for her, it鈥檚 not the Chicago/Cabaret world, or the Hair/Godspell world, (or the Sweeney Victorian world we suspect we鈥檙e heading towards). She鈥檚 wearing a straight wool overcoat over a miniskirt, chunky pearls and earrings, and a straw hat tilted on the back of her head. Her world is the more sunny musicals of the '60s coming out of the Golden Age, which makes sense because she loved Schmigadoon. Think How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Anyone Can Whistle, Do I Hear a Waltz?, Promises, Promises.

Am I overthinking this? Maybe. But I don鈥檛 think so. She also 鈥済ets emotional鈥� when she learns Josh broke out of jail. That doesn鈥檛 seem very Melissa. You know who does get emotional? Fran Kubelik.

Logan: As she leaves, we get a little Sweeney in the underscore. Shout out to arranger and orchestrator (and three-time Tony winner) Doug Besterman and film and TV composer Christopher Willis, who are really working overtime to make sure we鈥檙e getting lots of great musical theatre callbacks in the orchestrations and underscoring too.

Meanwhile, Josh is with Topher at the hippie commune with what looks to be a group of characters straight out of Godspell鈥攊ncluding one wearing the vest from a marching band uniform that I choose to believe is a nod to Oliver!鈥檚 Artful Dodger. Josh, officially on the lam, is freaking out, but Topher has just the thing for that: 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 Gotta Get Naked.鈥�

WATCH: Aaron Tveit and the Cast of Schmigadoon! 'Gotta Get Naked' in Hair Parody Number

Talaura: The number opens with a nod to the nonsense lyrics from Hair鈥檚鈥淕ood Morning Starshine鈥�: 鈥淕liddy glub gloopy, nibby nabby noopy la, la, la, lo, lo.鈥� And the song itself is a direct reference to how Hair famously brought nudity to the Broadway stage in 1968. At the end of its Act 1 closer, 鈥淲here Do I Go,鈥� the tribe briefly appears skyclad. It was shocking. (I would think the lyrics of 鈥淪odomy鈥� were even moreso to audiences then. They are to me now!)

Audiences were ready to get naked, though. The original production of Hair (book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot) ran for over four years and was shortly followed by the even more risqu茅 (now with extra nudity!) Oh! Calcutta! in 1969.

Logan: Nice. I also loved that Grease characters became the nonsense chant at the beginning. 鈥淩izzo, Cha-Cha, Doody, Zuko, and Kenickie.鈥� No 鈥淩ama lama lama ka dingitty ding de dong鈥� here! (I need everyone to know I looked up how that was spelled in the published score.) This number is a mash-up in a lot of ways, actually. That syncopation at the end of the chorus is from Pippin鈥檚鈥淪imple Joys,鈥� and the Rhodes electric piano lick at the top of the dance break is straight outta 鈥淚 Gotcha鈥� from Liza With a Z. OK, actually 鈥淚 Gotcha鈥� existed before Liza With a Z, but we all know that鈥檚 when it really started to matter鈥攖o show queens, at least.

Talaura: Leading Tituss welcomes us to Quick Street, 鈥渢he seedier side of Schmicago.鈥� (Sign spotted: Kander鈥檚 Absinthe Cafe next to Herman鈥檚 Hummable Tunes. Let鈥檚 hope Logan doesn鈥檛 have a 600-word treatise on Kander and the Green Goddess.)

Logan: Proceed.

Talaura: Melissa stumbles upon Miss Codwell鈥檚 Home for Unwanted Orphans, run by Kristin Chenoweth. Last season, KChen played the preacher鈥檚 wife (a sort of Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn type), and we had to wait until the fifth episode before we got her big number, so I鈥檓 happy to see her a little earlier this season. She鈥檚 very Sweeney Todd, Mrs. Lovett-leaning this go 'round, with her hair in little top knot buns and her exaggerated cockney. But with her orphans and her mention of bathtub gin, she鈥檚 also planted firmly in Annie鈥檚 Miss Hannigan territory. Upon seeing Melissa, she immediately tries to sell her a child in the song 鈥淲orst Brats in Town,鈥� a send-up of Mrs. Lovett鈥檚鈥淲orst Pies in London,鈥� with triple rhymes and double entendres to die for.

Logan: Also worth mentioning that orphans (well one boy, at least) are also for sale in Oliver!. You can tell we鈥檙e in Sondheim territory because the time signature keeps changing. And, like 鈥淲orst Pies,鈥� this song is less a traditional song than a monologue set to music. These parodies are pretty smart, folks.

Talaura: Josh gets a smiley on his cheek to show he鈥檚 really part of the tribe. The tribe hates Kratt and 鈥渉is evil power company,鈥� but getting naked and telling parables isn鈥檛 working in fighting the power. To show Josh 鈥渢he power of parables,鈥� the tribe performs 鈥淭he Lamb Without a Flock.鈥�

So, it is my understanding that Godspell is full of these little improvised-clowned-vaudeville-parable story moments, but I don't really know as I have never seen it in its entirety. I tried to watch the film version once. Much like Josh, very early in, I said, 鈥淥h no, I already hate this,鈥� and turned it off.

Logan: Don鈥檛 worry鈥擨鈥檓 sure the millions of dollars Schwartz has made off that show will more than soothe his hurt feelings from that review.

Back on Quick Street, it turns out the address Melissa found is Blight鈥檚 Butcher Shop, home to Dooley Blight, who Miss Codwell seems to be in love with. Probably needless to say, Alan Cumming鈥檚 Dooley is our Sweeney stand-in after being closeted Mayor Aloysius Menlove last season. Dooley gets a 鈥淲orst Brats鈥� reprise (Josh Groban found shaking), but this time it鈥檚 the bratwurst he鈥檚 making.

Talaura: That brats/br盲ts callback鈥ust *chef鈥檚 kiss*.

Logan: After Melissa tells Dooley that Elsie has been murdered, we learn Dooley鈥檚 backstory鈥攁nd the Sweeney Todd references abound. We find out that Jenny Banks is Dooley鈥檚 daughter, and Elsie was keeping Dooley up on how she was doing. Singing a take on Sweeney鈥檚鈥淭he Barber and His Wife,鈥� Dooley sings, 鈥淭here was a butcher who had a wife and daughter,鈥� recounting a harrowing tale about a rich man who wanted the butcher鈥檚 wife for his own, only to murder her when she refused his advances鈥攁nd then had the butcher charged with the crime. But instead of making Jenny his ward, this rich man waited until she was old enough and put her on the stage. This gets Dooley into an 鈥淓piphany鈥�-like portion of the song where he vows vengeance and says ~~鈥渢hey all deserve to die鈥�~~ he wants to 鈥渒ill them all!鈥�

Talaura: Melissa is putting it all together: The rich man is Kratt, and maybe he killed Elsie. She鈥檒l tell the police! But Dooley says he has the police under his thumb, so murder is the only way. We also find out he can鈥檛 bear to see Jenny because he is a ghost of the man he once was鈥攕imilar to Sweeney who, according to his Act 2 鈥淛ohanna (Quartet),鈥� can鈥檛 bear to see her because she would remind him too much of his wife.

A member of the hippie tribe arrives in roller skates to tell Melissa that Josh is fine, and Melissa runs after the 鈥渂irthday clown allergic to bras.鈥� Shout out to this episode鈥檚 writer and noted fellow theatre nerd, Julie Klausner!

Logan: Things are great at the commune, because everyone鈥檚 passing around bread infused with what we can only assume is *gasp!* weed. Melissa鈥檚 mad because Josh has been getting high with hippies while she鈥檚 out trying to save him, but that basically just gets her labeled a square by the hippies. Nevertheless, Josh and Melissa decide it鈥檚 time for Josh to turn himself in to the police and they leave the commune.

Talaura: Josh (sans his tribe hair) is in court and everyone thinks he鈥檚 guilty. But where is his lawyer, Bobbie? Jane Krakowski descends into the courtroom on a trapeze鈥攊t鈥檚 a courtroom circus! This is also reminiscent of Krakowski鈥檚 entrance in Nine, as she descended from the flies in silks for the number 鈥淎 Call From the Vatican鈥� in her Tony-winning turn as Carla Albanese. Her big number here is 鈥淏ells and Whistles.鈥�

Patrick Page in *Schmigadoon!* season two, *Schmicago* Apple TV+

Logan: And this one is another mash-up moment. We鈥檝e got choreography from Sweet Charity and Chicago鈥檚鈥淗ot Honey Rag,鈥� while the music is actually giving us a lot of Chorus Line. I heard the vamp from ~~鈥淭its and Ass鈥�~~ 鈥淒ance 10 Looks 3,鈥� and some moments from 鈥淚 Can Do That鈥� while Jane鈥檚 tap dancing, which is appropriate. I鈥檇 also like to believe that moment where she鈥檚 on roller skates is perhaps a nod to another Jane Krakowski Broadway performance: Starlight Express (Krakowski made her Broadway debut in the trains-on-roller-skates Andrew Lloyd Webber musical).

Talaura: Then we get the ventriloquist moment from 颁丑颈肠补驳辞鈥�s 鈥淭hey Both Reached for the Gun,鈥� followed by patter from Company鈥檚鈥淕etting Married Today.鈥� This number is crazy good. I don't think there's enough that could be said about it really. Not only is it a plethora of musical theatre references, but Krakowski pulls out all of her own performance "bells and whistles" for it. The dancing, the vocal dexterity, trapeze, roller skates, splits! It's a showstopper.

The jury foreman (last season鈥檚 oft-injured Pete) announces Josh is innocent and Bobbie is absolutely stunning. And we get our 鈥淚鈥檒l drink to that!鈥� for this episode. Melissa and Josh are sure they have their happy ending, but a look to the camera from Leading Tituss says otherwise.

Logan: And now we鈥檙e in Kratt鈥檚 office, and he is fit to be tied after this verdict comes down. Kratt yells at some of his henchmen in a fairly direct parody of Jesus Christ Superstar鈥檚鈥淭his Jesus Must Die,鈥� with Kratt filling in as the very bass-singing Caiaphas. I mean, it just doesn鈥檛 get better than these Patrick Page low notes.

Talaura: We find out his thing is he wants a wife, but he always 鈥渨ants the women who don鈥檛 want me.鈥� We even get a little awkward self-flagellation 脿 la Judge Turpin鈥檚鈥淛ohanna (Mea Culpa)鈥� in Sweeney.

Logan: Yes, which is not in the current Broadway revival, by the way. Not that I鈥檓 bitter about that or anything.

Talaura: Mmmm-hmmmm. He looks out the window and spies Melissa (still in a 鈥�60s frock) leaving the hotel with Josh (now back in his modern clothes). Obviously, he鈥檒l take her to wife. Which would also take care of his nasty Josh/Elsie Vale problem somehow, killing 鈥渢wo birds with one *very, very low Patrick Page note* stone.鈥� BLACKOUT.

See you next Wednesday!