Apple TV Plus series Schmigadoon! has proven to be both a homage and playful spoof of many classic musicals throughout its run. In the first season, the show focused on classic musicals from around the 1950s — their bright colors and upbeat, family safe tones. But in Schmigadoon! season 2, things get a darker turn as they move on to the musicals that defined the late '60s and '70s.
That era of musical theater saw the emergence of Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Bob Fosse, with some of its most famous plays including Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, Company, Annie and Chicago.
Every episode features a number of different Easter eggs for musical theater fans. And if you're not necessarily familiar with the shows they're tipping their hats to, perhaps Schimgadoon! will help you discover these classic stage productions.
Let's look at all the different musicals that Schmigadoon! season 2 references
A Chorus Line
Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante's 1975 musical focuses on dancers as the audition for a spot on the chorus line of a Broadway production. Schmigadoon! makes a nod to the show with the number "I Need to Eat," which sees Melissa (Cecily Strong) attempt to get a job at the Kratt Klubb in order to find out details about Elsie’s murder and exonerate Josh. The song is a direct parody from A Chorus Line's opening number "I Hope I Get It," while also making references to "The Music and the Mirror." A Chorus Line's "Dance: 10, Looks: 3" also gets a shout out during the Schmigadoon! number "Bells and Whistles."
Annie
Annie is not the darker type of musical many of the famous shows referenced in Schmigadoon! season 2, but the Apple TV Plus series does weave in the classic tale of the red-headed orphan in a few ways. Most notably in Kristin Chenoweth's Miss Codwell, who oversees Schmicago's orphanage, has a bit of Miss Hannigan in her. Two of Annie's most famous songs, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" and "It's the Hard Knock Life," are referenced in "Good Enough to Eat" from episode 4.
Cabaret
Bob Fosse's classic musical of 1930s Germany cabaret singer Sally Bowles is clearly a big influence on this season. Dove Cameron plays Jenny Banks, Ariana DeBose plays the Emcee and Ann Harada is Madame Fraue, who are directly influenced by Bowles, Master of Ceremonies and Fraulein Schneider, respectfully. Each of those characters get their own song based on Cabaret songs, with Emcee singing "Welcome to the Kratt Klubb" based on "Wilkommen" and Jenny singing "Kaput" inspired by Sally Bowles' "Mein Herr." Melissa also gets to perform a Cabaret nod, with "Maybe It's My Turn Now," a riff on "Maybe This Time."
Chicago
The obvious reference to Chicago, another Bob Fosse production, is that Schmigadoon has been transformed into Schmicago for the second season. Jane Krakowski's Bobbie Flanagan is the show's version of Chicago's lawyer Billy Flynn, with her performing a take on his most famous numbers: "Razzle Dazzle" becoming "Bells and Whistles" and "Bobby's Vamp" making allusions to "All I Care About." "Bobby's Vamp" and "Bustin' Out" also make some reference to Chicago songs "Roxie" and "Cell Block Tango."
Company
One of the Stephen Sondheim musicals that Schmigadoon season 2 pays homage to is Company (Sondheim teamed with George Furth for the show). The most notable reference is "Bustin' Out," which is clearly based on Company's "You Could Drive a Person Crazy." But Company fans may also spot some nods to the show's songs "Bobby, Baby" and "Getting Married Today" in the Bobbie Flanagan numbers “Bobby’s Vamp” and “Bells and Whistles.” The Company song "The Ladies Lunch" also gets a nod with a character saying throughout the season's run, "I'll Drink to That."
Dreamgirls
Schmigadoon! season 2 opens its finale with a reference to the 1981 R&B musical Dreamgirls (more famously made into a 2006 movie), with DeBose's Emcee singing the powerful ballad "Over and Done."
Hair
The counterculture movement didn't escape Broadway, with Hair (by Gerome Ragni and James Rado) the most famous example and a clear inspiration for a group of characters in Schmigadoon! season 2 with Aaron Tevitt's Topher and his tribe of hippies. We also get a Hair-style number in "Gotta Get Naked," which draws comparisons to "Let the Sunshine In."
Jesus Christ Superstar
Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera of the story of Jesus Christ's final days was a Broadway hit, and Schmigadoon! season 2 episode 5 pays its respects to the show with a pair of numbers. The first is "Famous as Hell," based on "Heaven on Their Minds," and the second is "Get Out," which is a play on the show's "The Last Supper."
Pippin
Pippin is a clear influence for Schmigadoon! season 2 right from its very first number, as Titus Burgess' narrator takes on a similar role to the show's Leading Player and sings a riff on "Magic to Do" with "Welcome to Schmicago." But that's not all, Tevitt's showstopper "Doorway to Where" clearly has its roots in "Corner of the Sky" and the love song of "Something Real" between Jenny and Topher is a nod to Pippin's "Love Song."
Promises Promises
The general musical fan may not be as familiar with Burt Bacharach and Neil Simon's Promises Promises, based on the 1960s Best Picture winner The Apartment, but it shouldn't be a surprise that the Schmigadoon team chose to reference it. The moment comes in episode 5 of the second season with "There's Always a Twist," which draws on "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "Turkey Lurkey Time."
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
It's just a quick one, but as the season wraps up we finally get to see the act that Sergeant Rivera (Jaime Camil) has wanted to perform at the club, which is very reminiscent of Dr. Frank-N-Furter from the movie musical.
Sweeney Todd
If Schmigadoon! season 2 wanted to make it clear it was going darker, it had to include the musical about the murderous barber and the meat pies made from humans, Sweeney Todd. Alan Cumming takes on the role of Dooley Blight, a Todd stand-in, while Chenoweth's Codwell is a combination of the previously mentioned Miss Hannigan and Sweeney Todd's Mrs. Lovett. Parodies of some of Sweeney Todd's most famous numbers are included in the season — "Worst Brats in Town" for "Worst Pies in London" and "Good Enough to Eat" for "Little Priest." The intro for episode 5 also has some of the overtones to "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." And let's not forget the plotline of Dooley wanting to kill for revenge and the pair's plots to use orphans for meat in their sausages are directly lifted from Sweeney Todd.
Sweet Charity
Neil Simon paired with Bob Fosse (along with lyricist Dorothy Fields and composer Cy Coleman) for Sweet Charity. Like Promises Promises it was based on a movie, Italy's Nights of Cabiria. Schmigadoon! makes references to the show with its numbers "Talk to Daddy," inspired by "The Rhythm of Life" and "The Rich Man's Frug," and "Do We Shock You," based on "Big Spender."
There were some other fun references and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the season's run, including shows like Godspell, Bye Bye Birdie, Oliver and possibly a couple that we missed on the first go around. See if you can spot any that we missed by watching all of Schmigadoon! season 2 right now on Apple TV Plus.
