This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Andrew DeWolf: Will you have to go into this magical world backpacking for some reason?

[0:04] Jesse McAnally: Cause you're the love of my life.

[0:06] Andrew DeWolf: Man, I love you so much too.

[0:07] Jesse McAnally: Let's cross this weird looking bridge or whatever the heck, I don't fucking know.

[0:11] Elizabeth Estid: OH MY GOD, IT'S ELIZABETH ESTID!

[0:14] Elizabeth Estid: Hi, I'm back!

[0:16] Jesse McAnally: Oh, hey!

[0:18] Elizabeth Estid: Yes, let me leave the farm for like, an hour.

[0:22] Jesse McAnally: Da da da ya, da da da ya, Musicals with Cheese.

[0:31] Jesse McAnally: Hello, I'm Jesse McAnally.

[0:33] Andrew DeWolf: And I am Andrew DeWolf.

[0:35] Elizabeth Estid: And I'm Liz Estid.

[0:36] Jesse McAnally: Yes, and welcome to Musicals with Cheese, a podcast where I try to get Andrew to like musical theater.

[0:42] Andrew DeWolf: And today we're joined by our best friend and yours from Patreon with Cheese and the Cheese Wheel Podcast and the editor of so many videos across the internet, currently for Big Beak Entertainment and previously for Musicals with Cheese and upcoming Stealing Focus, it's Elizabeth Estid!

[1:00] Elizabeth Estid: Hi, everybody!

[1:02] Elizabeth Estid: Oh, and I forgot to—

[1:03] Jesse McAnally: It's been so long.

[1:04] Elizabeth Estid: It's been like—

[1:04] Andrew DeWolf: It feels like it's—

[1:05] Elizabeth Estid: It's been a month.

[1:06] Andrew DeWolf: Two weeks.

[1:10] Jesse McAnally: Liz, how are you doing?

[1:11] Elizabeth Estid: Ah, good, good. Just the yoush.

[1:14] Andrew DeWolf: Does it feel weird to be a special guest now?

[1:16] Elizabeth Estid: It feels very weird. I don't know what to do.

[1:19] Elizabeth Estid: I feel like Ricky Bobby, not knowing what to do with my hands.

[1:22] Jesse McAnally: Because normally I'm like researching. I'm like, oh, I don't have to do anything.

[1:24] Elizabeth Estid: You don't. You're just a guest today.

[1:25] Jesse McAnally: I can just vibe.

[1:27] Andrew DeWolf: It's your job to talk while we sit here and collect money.

[1:30] Elizabeth Estid: Yeah.

[1:34] Jesse McAnally: Speaking of collecting money, a few years ago on Patreon, Elizabeth Estid and I reviewed every single episode of the TV show for Apple TV, Schmigadoon.

[1:46] Elizabeth Estid: Mild correction on that. We watched all of season one and did like two episodes on season two.

[1:50] Jesse McAnally: And then we quit.

[1:52] Elizabeth Estid: That is fair enough.

[1:53] Jesse McAnally: But also season two was not adapted into the Schmigadoon musical, which is what we're covering today.

[1:59] Andrew DeWolf: Cue the music!

[2:01] Jesse McAnally: Schmigadoon!

[2:04] Jesse McAnally: Brought to you by the Church Bells ring every day!

[2:07] Jesse McAnally: Schmigadoon!

[2:08] Jesse McAnally: And the Wells Fargo wagon brought my paws harping!

[2:12] Jesse McAnally: Schmigadoon!

[2:13] Jesse McAnally: So Schmigadoon is a musical written and composed by Cinco Paul.

[2:19] Andrew DeWolf: You remember him?

[2:20] Jesse McAnally: He's the one that wrote the Santa Claus 2 and the Lorax movie musical.

[2:25] Andrew DeWolf: Are we being for real? Did he actually write the Lorax?

[2:28] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, he wrote the songs for the Lorax musical.

[2:31] Andrew DeWolf: He wrote I'm Just Helping With The Economy?

[2:33] Jesse McAnally: Yes, he wrote a better song and they said no.

[2:38] Andrew DeWolf: They said how ba-a-a-ad can this be?

[2:41] Jesse McAnally: So in the place of how ba-a-a-ad can I be, there used to be a song called Biggering, which is just a great song and like got the tone of the book.

[2:50] Andrew DeWolf: And Illumination said nah.

[3:01] Jesse McAnally: It's struggling and fighting just to keep itself alive.

[3:08] Andrew DeWolf: I must keep biggering, I'm biggering, I'm biggering.

[3:15] Jesse McAnally: No biggering is triggering, no biggering.

[3:21] Andrew DeWolf: I won't stop biggering, I'm biggering, I'm biggering.

[3:29] Jesse McAnally: And biggering is triggering, no biggering.

[3:35] Andrew DeWolf: The customers are buying in the moment.

[3:38] Jesse McAnally: Even the word biggering is like more Seussical.

[3:40] Andrew DeWolf: That's such a Seuss word.

[3:42] Jesse McAnally: It's from the Seuss, like it's like that's the metaphor. Like all this biggering will trigger more biggering and then you will never know.

[3:48] Andrew DeWolf: And it's, yeah, it's like a great song and Sinkopal wrote it.

[3:53] Jesse McAnally: And then, you know, corporate mandates come and now how ba-a-a-ad can I be?

[3:58] Andrew DeWolf: They're like, what if it was just like, how bad can I be?

[4:00] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[4:00] Andrew DeWolf: Like that was the lyric. What if that was?

[4:02] Jesse McAnally: Maybe Chris Milledandro is just like missing a, missing like half his brain cells at that point because of Minions.

[4:07] Andrew DeWolf: So he's like, no, this is too subtle.

[4:09] Jesse McAnally: There were too many, there's like a million Minions in the Lorax movie.

[4:12] Andrew DeWolf: All the animals in the Lorax are just the Minions in different skins.

[4:16] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, it's true.

[4:18] Andrew DeWolf: But it is based on the Apple TV show Schmegadoon by Sinkopal and Ken Dario. It premiered at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as part of Broadway Center Stage Series from January 31st to February 9th of 2025.

[4:32] Jesse McAnally: It got mixed reviews. Then the Broadway production opened on April 20th, Hitler's birthday, 2026, having begun previews on April 4th.

[4:43] Andrew DeWolf: It went on to basically sweep the Tony Awards.

[4:47] Jesse McAnally: And a North American tour is expected to begin in late 2027.

[4:52] Andrew DeWolf: On the review aggregator website, didtheylikeit.com, there were reported 13 positive reviews and four middling and one negative.

[5:01] Jesse McAnally: The plot of Schmegadoon is welcome to Schmegadoon, the magical town where every day is a musical. Everybody has a song for everything. And the one bridge out of town leads nowhere. When one couple accidentally wanders in, they discover the only escape is finding true love, which may or may not be with each other.

[5:25] Jesse McAnally: So Liz, you and I watched the show. We didn't have an idea of this. Andrew, what is your vibe with Schmegadoon?

[5:34] Andrew DeWolf: It's like Brigadoon, but I guess like a little bit different.

[5:39] Jesse McAnally: It's like a parody of Brigadoon.

[5:42] Andrew DeWolf: It's a parody of all musicals from like the mid 20th century.

[5:46] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, kind of. Um, yeah, it's, it just feels like a goofy, like a goof.

[5:54] Andrew DeWolf: Feels like we're just doing a gag. It's like it's a musical, but it's like a musical making fun of musicals.

[6:01] Jesse McAnally: It feels like something Starkid would do. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the guy who didn't like musicals.

[6:08] Andrew DeWolf: I will say doing them back to back may not have been my smartest move. They have a very similar like tone where it's like, there's a guy who doesn't like the musicals, the world is musicals.

[6:23] Jesse McAnally: I agree. But did it work for you? Did the emotions hit or did the humor hit? Did it work in any way for you?

[6:31] Andrew DeWolf: I feel like it started working in the second half for me. I think the first half was a little sloppy middling.

[6:39] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, the second half, I think, worked a lot better.

[6:42] Andrew DeWolf: All right, that's fair. Liz, you did watch all that season of Schmigadoon with me. How did you feel about this musical and how did it adapt it?

[6:51] Elizabeth Estid: It's the same thing.

[6:54] Elizabeth Estid: They didn't change anything.

[6:55] Andrew DeWolf: It's a lot shorter, right?

[6:56] Elizabeth Estid: It's a lot shorter, but all the episodes are 30 minutes. So they cut it by like two hours. So, you know, they didn't cut much.

[7:07] Jesse McAnally: For what it is, I enjoy it. It feels very much like an inside baseball kind of thing. If you like classic musicals, this is a good time. But if you don't know a Carousel reference, is it that good?

[7:23] Elizabeth Estid: The thing is, I know all the references and my brain is still, is it that good?

[7:28] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it feels like you have to like musicals. Not to knock anyone who really likes a show, finds it a comfort show. My comfort show is American Vandal, of all things. So I will never judge anyone for liking this shit. But like, I don't mind it, but it is messy. Like, in act two, the fiancé who shows up for a singular scene and adds nothing.

[7:51] Elizabeth Estid: In the show, she has a whole episode where she's like—

[7:54] Andrew DeWolf: Kind of, but she still shows up and does nothing.

[7:57] Elizabeth Estid: She shows up and does nothing, but she has like more to do in the show, it feels like. But in this one, it's like, you could have cut her.

[8:04] Andrew DeWolf: Does she break the universe a little bit? Is she able to come and go as she pleases?

[8:08] Elizabeth Estid: They don't really answer that question, but they're more focused on the fact if she's a Nazi or not for like 10 of her scenes.

[8:15] Andrew DeWolf: She confirms it immediately.

[8:18] Elizabeth Estid: In the actual show, it takes her like half the episode to confirm it.

[8:21] Andrew DeWolf: No, that is the last line she says in the show is, by the way, I'm a Nazi, and she leaves.

[8:25] Elizabeth Estid: And she leaves. It's actually really funny. And she's played by Jane Krakowski, so it's like incredible.

[8:31] Andrew DeWolf: COVID messed up a lot of the original plans for that show, because a lot of actors I thought they would have for certain things, like they didn't have any more, so they kind of had to throw it together. I'm pretty sure that Jane Krakowski's character was going to be fleshed out a bit more, and then wasn't.

[8:41] Elizabeth Estid: Aaron Tveit, uh, the, the, what's it? What is it? Danny, that's his name. Danny just disappears, then reappears in the last episode.

[8:56] Andrew DeWolf: It was kind of a mess. So I was kind of like, hey, maybe this musical will kind of fix a lot of the things that they couldn't have done because of the COVID limitations.

[9:06] Elizabeth Estid: And then they didn't.

[9:11] Andrew DeWolf: Which is equally confusing.

[9:15] Elizabeth Estid: Maybe they didn't see it as an issue.

[9:16] Andrew DeWolf: Maybe. I mean, it's, people really like the first season of the show. I think people kind of like the second season, but I didn't like it, so.

[9:23] Elizabeth Estid: I think, I think that first season is fine, and the reason why it kind of works is Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key are not musical theater people. They are very much like the weird comedian people walking into this set full of Broadway veterans. Kristen Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit, uh, Ariana DeBose.

[9:46] Andrew DeWolf: And now, on the stage adaptation, we have Sarah Chase and Alex Brightman, two world-class Broadway performers that are just sleepwalking through this eight nights a week.

[9:59] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, it's so strange that they don't even give Brightman a number until the very end.

[10:06] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, when you have Keegan-Michael Key in that role, it's kind of adorable, and when he sings it, he really isn't a singer. We talked about the problem. We've seen the problem. He's not really known for his singing voice, so it is kind of, like, adorable when he does it.

[10:21] Jesse McAnally: Alex Brightman, it's like, oh yeah, we know Alex Brightman can sing. He's almost, he's like pretending that he can't.

[10:28] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, like half the scenes, he's like supposed to not want to sing, but if you really look at him, he's like, I really want to sing right now.

[10:36] Jesse McAnally: Like, he clearly wants to engage with the musical part of the show, but his character's like, no, no, no, no, I don't like musicals.

[10:43] Andrew DeWolf: Is the question, has Alex Brightman just become too famous for his own good? Because you could literally slot him into any other male figure in this musical, and he'd be better suited than the one he's in, but I think they're just too afraid to not give him the lead.

[10:58] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, I can see that. Especially from, like, a marketing push perspective, because it's like, Alex Brightman, and it's like, big mean guy. Beetlejuice guy, that stupid animated show guy.

[11:11] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, but, like, you want him to have a song, though. You want him to have, not a song, you want him to have more than one song.

[11:17] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, like, I think he could be the mayor, like, for, like, that could work slightly better. Doc Lopez, um, Danny, he could have made work. He could have made Danny work really well. It could have been, like, different from Tveit, and a lot more than the guy they cast, so.

[11:32] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, um, here's the thing. The wackiest thing about this musical is how well it did at the Tonys. Now, we were there for the Tonys, Liz, you had to tap out a little bit, but Andrew, you were there. This won Best Score and Best Book of a Musical.

[11:46] Jesse McAnally: This won Best Score?

[11:48] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, and 95% of the songs were written for a TV show. There's, like, a couple ones that were written brand new and interesting, but most of it is just par for the course adaptation of the musical.

[12:03] Jesse McAnally: You can't bring in, like, Disney's Frozen and call that a new score.

[12:09] Andrew DeWolf: That's a good point.

[12:11] Jesse McAnally: And I gotta say, all of this being said, here is my big hot take that maybe people disagree with. I think this works better as a musical than as it did as a TV show by a lot.

[12:30] Andrew DeWolf: I haven't seen the show, so it's hard for me to say, but I'd love for an explanation.

[12:34] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, I mean, for science purposes, I guess. I've rewatched the pilot of Schmigadoon before I watched the bootleg, just so I had, like, my memories back, because it's been so long since we covered it. So I'm like, okay, let me just rewatch it so I can get the vibe. And while I think there's flaws with this one that could have been fixed with different casting, I kind of agree with you, Jess. Because that TV show meanders and lives in the space a lot, which kind of works for that medium. But you kind of get the point, and you get the jokes, and with a comedy, you want it to be fast-paced and energetic. And the first half of this musical, I would say, is fast-paced to a fault, but that doesn't mean the jokes don't hit, and that the point isn't made. Where in Act 2, I think it really all comes together in a way that the second half of the Schmigadoon TV show absolutely does not.

[13:27] Andrew DeWolf: Now, what is the plot of Schmigadoon, if you could lay it out for us?

[13:35] Andrew DeWolf: Um, sure, sure. So, there's these two doctors, who, forgive me, I'm fucking awful with names, it's like Melissa and—

[13:46] Jesse McAnally: Josh.

[13:48] Andrew DeWolf: Josh?

[13:49] Jesse McAnally: I was gonna say Jeff, but Josh is—

[13:51] Andrew DeWolf: My name Jeff.

[13:52] Jesse McAnally: My name Jeff.

[13:53] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, okay. Beetlejuice. They go hiking, and they end up in Schmigadoon, which is this kind of a strange town where everyone sings, and they find that they are unable to leave. And I guess they need to find true love to leave. So, a lot of it is about them trying to find their true love, because they decide that, I guess, it's not each other, for whatever reason, you know?

[14:28] Jesse McAnally: So, uh, gosh.

[14:33] Andrew DeWolf: I believe you.

[14:34] Jesse McAnally: You got this, man.

[14:35] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can just skip to their respective significant others.

[14:39] Andrew DeWolf: I know, because that's where I was gonna go.

[14:42] Andrew DeWolf: I try to remember if there was other stuff, because I remember she's with the carnival guy, Danny, or whatever.

[14:47] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, well, they both have their false stars. She starts with Danny, the carnival guy, who is Billy Bigelow from Carousel, basically. And he starts with McKenzie Kurtz, Betsy McDonough.

[15:02] Andrew DeWolf: Um, yeah, Dove Cameron.

[15:05] Jesse McAnally: She's McKenzie Kurtz on stage, though.

[15:06] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I know. In the show, she's Dove Cameron.

[15:09] Jesse McAnally: And McKenzie Kurtz is better than Dove Cameron.

[15:11] Andrew DeWolf: She is, 100%. Um, and her bit is, she's horny but chased, much like those, uh, I Can't Say No types from Oklahoma.

[15:21] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, and then he starts getting chased by the dad with the shotgun.

[15:25] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, your favorite subplot in Oklahoma was the dad with the shotgun.

[15:29] Jesse McAnally: Dad with the shotgun, he's good in this as well. Um, but then, like, the real part of it is the second love interest, which is, uh, for, um, Melissa, she starts, she finds, like, a doctor.

[15:45] Andrew DeWolf: Dr. Lopez, yes.

[15:46] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, yeah, who they seem to get along very well. And then, I was gonna say, is it Josh?

[15:54] Andrew DeWolf: It is Josh.

[15:55] Jesse McAnally: It is Josh, not Jeff.

[15:57] Andrew DeWolf: I wish it was Jeff, that'd be more compelling.

[16:04] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, um, no, Josh is with, um, gosh, is she a school teacher?

[16:11] Andrew DeWolf: School teacher.

[16:12] Jesse McAnally: But she's, she's very big on, like, marrying the librarian and taking the subtext from the music man and making it text.

[16:20] Andrew DeWolf: Exactly, um, it's literally the, the music man plot, in a sense.

[16:25] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, but, like, taking the music man plot that everyone assumes, like, oh, is it that Marian's really her son? And they're like, yeah, yeah, it is her son. For real.

[16:36] Andrew DeWolf: So, it's, it's with them. And then there's, like, subplots with, um, the mayor, who comes out as, um, homosexual.

[16:47] Jesse McAnally: His name is Menlove, so, you know.

[16:49] Andrew DeWolf: Mayor Menlove.

[16:50] Jesse McAnally: Mayor, Mayor Manlove.

[16:53] Andrew DeWolf: Menlove.

[16:54] Jesse McAnally: He loves multiple men.

[16:56] Andrew DeWolf: He loves many men. Text.

[16:59] Jesse McAnally: Um, and then there's also the reverend's wife, who is just, uh, power hungry and, uh, doesn't like outsiders.

[17:05] Andrew DeWolf: Played by Anna Gasteyer, who I think is wonderful. And I'm the version I watched.

[17:10] Jesse McAnally: Um, so, basically, before they're, either of them are able to leave, um, they kind of realize that they're, they're meant to be with each other. Um, but they end up, uh, changing the town's mind about outsiders and the mayor's homosexuality. And, um, then they leave.

[17:35] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, kind of an anti-climax there.

[17:39] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, but that's kind of what happens, is it not?

[17:41] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, that's exactly what happens. I count in.

[17:43] Jesse McAnally: They cross the bridge and the show's over.

[17:46] Andrew DeWolf: The thing is—

[17:46] Jesse McAnally: It's literally—

[17:47] Andrew DeWolf: Much like a TV show, the time I really lock in, it's with the Emma character, uh, here played by Isabella McCalla, um, our friend and yours.

[17:58] Jesse McAnally: Oh, so is Brightman by some extent.

[18:00] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, we have, we have met two people in this cast on a different podcast.

[18:03] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[18:04] Andrew DeWolf: I have one of their phone numbers in my phone.

[18:07] Jesse McAnally: I do too. I have it, I have do not use written on the contact, but I do have it in my phone.

[18:12] Andrew DeWolf: We got those. Um, um, I, I think that subplot has done better, and I noticed that they did remove any of these songs on, like, Act 1, where they removed quite a few of the songs from, uh, Act, uh, the original show. Um, especially, like, when it goes more sentimental, I think this show really, really works.

[18:36] Jesse McAnally: I mean, that's what you get when you get the man that wrote the Santa Clause 2 coming in here.

[18:40] Andrew DeWolf: I, I, I like the plot with, uh, the kid. I forget the kid's name. I apologize. I just want to call him Winthrop because that's the music man kid.

[18:52] Elizabeth Estid: Carson Tate.

[18:53] Andrew DeWolf: He plays the same, Carson.

[18:54] Jesse McAnally: Okay.

[18:55] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. I like the kid. I think that that part is very, you know, it's like, it's just nice. It's like, oh, honestly, I feel a little, like, bad. I feel like they both wanted to leave Spigadoon and now they're not able to. Or maybe they are able to. I don't, I don't understand the rules.

[19:13] Jesse McAnally: Are, are, is everyone trapped there or is it just the couple?

[19:17] Andrew DeWolf: It's just the couple because when the couple comes back, like, all those same characters are playing different characters, but it's like Chicago now.

[19:25] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, now it's like the 70s.

[19:27] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know. What's the, is it the 70s?

[19:29] Jesse McAnally: Like, late 60s, early 70s.

[19:31] Andrew DeWolf: Late 60s, early 70s. It's like Chicago and, like, all these dark murder musicals.

[19:38] Jesse McAnally: Wait, so did they willingly go back to this place that they were trapped?

[19:41] Andrew DeWolf: At the beginning of season two, like, they leave Schmigadoon, so they leave Schmigadoon and then begin season two. They, like, go back to being doctors and they live their happy life and they're awesome, but they can't have a kid. So they're really sad. So they're like, let's go back to Schmigadoon to fulfill our happiness. And then they can't find it. So they ended up in Schmigaco, which is what season two is called.

[20:02] Jesse McAnally: Schmigaco.

[20:03] Andrew DeWolf: Schmigaco.

[20:04] Jesse McAnally: And then it got canceled.

[20:06] Andrew DeWolf: And it got canceled. My argument is this show should have been an anthology series, and it would not have gotten canceled. Like, two different people go to Musical Town and they have different arcs, so.

[20:10] Elizabeth Estid: Two other comedians, John Mulaney and, I don't know, Seth Rogen.

[20:21] Andrew DeWolf: They go to—

[20:21] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, yeah. It can be a gay couple for all I fucking care. Just not these two characters.

[20:26] Andrew DeWolf: Hey, Seth Rogen, I want to go to a musical.

[20:30] Jesse McAnally: All right. Can I get high?

[20:31] Andrew DeWolf: In this one, you can.

[20:34] Jesse McAnally: I don't like musicals, but I like getting high.

[20:36] Andrew DeWolf: Meet the guy from Hair.

[20:37] Jesse McAnally: Oh, can I get high in here?

[20:39] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, that's awesome. Meet the Reese from Madness cast.

[20:41] Jesse McAnally: Oh, man.

[20:46] Andrew DeWolf: I guess should this exist is the question. Should we have our biggest musical of the season based on a TV show that's making fun of musicals? And on top of that, should it look so fucking cheap?

[21:01] Jesse McAnally: Oh, it looks so cheap.

[21:03] Andrew DeWolf: Okay, yeah, you brought it up.

[21:05] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, the sets look really bad. I was thinking about it the whole time. They have, like, one—

[21:10] Andrew DeWolf: They have, like, two sets, like, at all.

[21:15] Jesse McAnally: I kept thinking about The Vending Machine. Because it's like, you have The Vending Machine.

[21:18] Andrew DeWolf: They start on The Vending Machine set, and that never comes back. And it's like, why did you even put the effort in? Because you didn't build any other sets.

[21:27] Jesse McAnally: You build, like, that's it. You have The Vending Machine and then The Smigadoon.

[21:31] Andrew DeWolf: Well, The Vending Machine becomes a bed, but there's not even any pillows on the bed. You could have put a pillow on there, for fuck's sake.

[21:39] Jesse McAnally: I mean, it works for what it is. The sad thing is, when you get to Smigadoon, the Vending Machine's cool, the bed's cool, like, the world, until we get to Smigadoon, then it's just that one painted forest and occasional props in front of it.

[21:54] Andrew DeWolf: That's what I mean. It's like, why did you put the effort in with The Vending Machine and all that shit when you're not even going to do anything else?

[22:01] Jesse McAnally: They have the, what, the Tunnel of Love set?

[22:04] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, it's just like the swan, basically.

[22:08] Jesse McAnally: It's the swan and the sign, and that's it. It's, it really, it's like, I imagine the TV show, because it's a TV show, that it probably had, like, somewhat impressive backdrops and things, no?

[22:21] Andrew DeWolf: It was a real set.

[22:22] Jesse McAnally: Yeah. It looked really good. The show did a good job parodying what it was doing, and it felt colorful and engaged, and here, it doesn't feel, it doesn't feel that colorful. It doesn't feel like that. The actors are really making up for what the stagecraft is not doing.

[22:41] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I think, I think the one that also stood out to me is the bridge. The half-bridge on the side of the stage?

[22:45] Jesse McAnally: The half-bridge off the side of the stage, it's like they couldn't figure out how to, it's like, I was expecting them to do something fun with that, and I know this is like, it's not part of the emotional core of it or whatever, but, like, I was half expecting them to do something where, like, he, like, comes back on the other side somehow, like, he, like, wraps, like, so sort of—

[23:09] Andrew DeWolf: You like your magic tricks on stage.

[23:11] Jesse McAnally: Oh, something happened here, Jess.

[23:13] Andrew DeWolf: Well, your audio went out for a second. Can you hear me now?

[23:16] Jesse McAnally: Yes.

[23:17] Andrew DeWolf: Okay. Can you say that again?

[23:18] Jesse McAnally: Well, you like your fun, goofy stagecraft, your magic tricks on shows like this.

[23:22] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah!

[23:23] Jesse McAnally: So, I was waiting for that. I was like, oh, so he's going to go off with all these ladies, and just because he's trying, he's just trying to leave. He's just like, fuck it. If I just get a bunch of women, one of them will work, right? And it didn't work. But what they do is they just have him leave on this half-bridge that goes off the set, and then just come back the other direction. Like, they just turn around, basically. And I'm just like, I feel like you could have done something cool, you know? Like, you could have done something where he, like, leaves the set, and then he comes back on the other side, and it's like a funny, like, Scooby-Doo-type moment or something.

[23:58] Andrew DeWolf: Or, I don't know, I can't think of something amazing, but, like, it's not really my job to do that. I'm just looking at it, and I'm like, you did, like, the most boring thing you could have done.

[24:01] Jesse McAnally: Or it even could have been, like, they're on the bridge, but it's, like, they're stuck on it, but it's moving. Like, they can't get off of it, but it's, like...

[24:14] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, like a treadmill?

[24:16] Jesse McAnally: It's, like, on wheels. It's, like, moving, and they can't get off of it somehow. It's like, I can't cross.

[24:20] Andrew DeWolf: That actually would have been interesting. Like, they're in, like, the middle, and the bridge just, they, like, they're walking forward, and it doesn't allow them to move forward at all.

[24:28] Jesse McAnally: Or they can get on it, they can't get off of it.

[24:30] Andrew DeWolf: You guys are all pitching...

[24:35] Jesse McAnally: I mean, not to be this guy, Broadway, they can't... It's expensive to put on a show nowadays. Even the most basic things are ridiculously hard to do, and that's so stupid.

[24:49] Andrew DeWolf: Like, and the fact that this is, like, the most... Quote-unquote by a lot of people I respect, the best thing, best new musical on Broadway at the moment, not because it's anything great, but just because everything else is so bad.

[25:07] Jesse McAnally: I feel like this show isn't bad.

[25:09] Andrew DeWolf: No.

[25:09] Jesse McAnally: You know, just to, like, put it out there.

[25:10] Andrew DeWolf: No, it's not bad. It's just, the fact that it is the best thing, it's like, this is like, it's a... Honestly, a relatively, like, mid to slightly above average show. That, and it's the best thing that we have to offer right now, and it's like, man, what are we doing?

[25:31] Andrew DeWolf: Broadway has gotten real... Okay, let's talk about his competition for the Tony Awards for Best Musical. I'm going to say things, because I know they have just been memory hold by you guys. Do, I'm sure we all remember the Lost Boys, like, that was, like, slightly memorable. Like, that's a thing. Then we have Titanic, which I don't think should even be considered a musical. That should stay in an underground, uh, fucking comedy cellar and never leave. It's ridiculous that that's on Broadway. I don't even understand what the fuck you're doing with that.

[26:01] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[26:01] Andrew DeWolf: The joke is just, it's Celine Dion. And it's the Titanic movie. It's like fucking...

[26:13] Jesse McAnally: Our joke is Celine Dion, it thought she was on the Titanic movie while she was writing the song, so they just stuck her in it.

[26:20] Andrew DeWolf: So it's like, it's like the fucking superhero movie or something like that.

[26:24] Jesse McAnally: Yes.

[26:24] Andrew DeWolf: Like a fucking joke.

[26:25] Jesse McAnally: Yes.

[26:26] Andrew DeWolf: A farce.

[26:27] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[26:28] Andrew DeWolf: It's like nominating, fucking, one of the gone wrong fucking shows as a best new movie.

[26:34] Jesse McAnally: Well, I'd rather nominate that. That actually has stagecraft and like, you know, Pratt Falls and like, yeah, things that have to happen with the stage to make it look...

[26:41] Andrew DeWolf: I understand, but can you imagine one of those getting nominated for best musical of the season?

[26:48] Jesse McAnally: They did get nominated for best play and I think it might've won.

[26:51] Andrew DeWolf: So...

[26:51] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[26:52] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, well, okay. I mean, Peter Pan Gone Wrong probably could have won something.

[26:56] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[26:56] Andrew DeWolf: In that category, in my opinion.

[26:57] Jesse McAnally: That song's kind of good.

[26:59] Andrew DeWolf: Um, then we have our favorite and yours, we all remember it, it's coming. We're going to do an episode on it. I've got the bootleg. Two strangers carry a cake across New York. There's no cake in the Tony's performance. What the fuck?

[27:14] Jesse McAnally: The fucking, uh, the underdog, the two cakes.

[27:18] Andrew DeWolf: The two cakes. Let's bring that cake. Where are we? Where are we bringing the cake? Let's go, Dougal.

[27:23] Jesse McAnally: People really have big thoughts about that musical. Like the people that love that musical really love it.

[27:30] Andrew DeWolf: I am ready to be impressed. You know what? Go for it. I've got small thoughts about it. I'm going to be real. Just text me and tell me if the cake actually shows up and then maybe I'll watch it.

[27:41] Jesse McAnally: I imagine there's a cake.

[27:43] Andrew DeWolf: I would hope so. I was jipped by the Tony's. I wanted to see the fucking cake.

[27:49] Jesse McAnally: Speaking of cake, how about we go into a mid-show and then we talk about how the reception of this show was.

[28:01] Jesse McAnally: Musicals with cheese.

[28:05] Jesse McAnally: The Lorax is here at IHOP. Adults will love the Lorax's green eggs and ham with fluffy whole wheat pancakes. Kids will love pancakes and crispy waffle cones with blueberry topping.

[28:13] Andrew DeWolf: Here you go.

[28:16] Jesse McAnally: Ooh, seeds. I wonder who's going to be the first one to plant these.

[28:23] Andrew DeWolf: I don't mind if I do. Let's make a difference and plant three million new trees.

[28:33] Jesse McAnally: Make it an IHOP day.

[28:35] Jesse McAnally: I was sitting in my office trying to decide which musical should inaugurate the New York City Opera season of musical comedy classics when a lavender mist that smelled just like Heather rolled in and I heard voices and music. My assistant seemed to find nothing out of the ordinary and then it came to me. It was our musical, Brigadoon at the New York State Theater. Call charge at 944-9300.

[29:10] Musicals with cheese.

[29:14] Jesse McAnally: Hey guys, sorry to interrupt you in the middle of the show but we've got a sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-shail at you. Today's show is brought to you by the extremely kind donations by our donors over at Patreon. And you know what, Andrew? We've got a few new Patrons since starting the show.

[29:28] Andrew DeWolf: Like, back up. Hang on a sec. What do we got?

[29:31] Jesse McAnally: We got Anna Beal, who I believe is a returning Patron.

[29:35] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, well, good to see you. Good to have you back.

[29:36] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, um, and, uh, roof geese, whatever that is.

[29:41] Andrew DeWolf: Roof? I mean, I've seen a lot of geese but they don't typically land on the roof.

[29:46] Jesse McAnally: They like to hang out on the ground, usually, but...

[29:48] Andrew DeWolf: Um, and over on Patreon, you're getting Liz and I talk about High School Musical the Musical the Series. I don't understand who Olivia Rodrigo is and the fact that she became anything after that show baffles me.

[30:00] Jesse McAnally: Listen to her new album, it'll change your mind.

[30:03] Andrew DeWolf: It won't.

[30:05] Jesse McAnally: I have to see it in the way that the world experiences it. So I need to get through all of High School Musical the Musical the Series then maybe listen to Driver's License.

[30:14] Andrew DeWolf: You think the entire world watched? You just have to listen to Sour.

[30:17] Jesse McAnally: Just listen to the whole fucking album.

[30:19] Andrew DeWolf: I don't have to listen to shit.

[30:21] Jesse McAnally: Okay.

[30:22] Andrew DeWolf: What if I make you for the Patreon show? You listen to the album, we do a review.

[30:25] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, I will. If Patreon wants it, I am a slave to their wishes.

[30:31] Andrew DeWolf: Exactly. Our current Patrons are Anna Beale, Roof Geese, Casey Denning, Pants Pants, Jessica, Sophia Hurtado, Davin Willis, Caleb Bailey, BT Fliberty Jigot, JRL Studios, Carl Baldasso, Aria Ardy, Gold Plated Kiki Mora, Puffy Boy, Mara, Rura Marasso, Elisa Erdman, Maddie Wargel, The Omega Geek, Sofiana Ali, Villainous Miss, Sammy the Adequate, and Mt. Jacobson.

[31:01] Jesse McAnally: We should check in with Sammy. I hope they're doing all right.

[31:04] Andrew DeWolf: Toriana Frazier, Joe, RJ Noriega, Keiji Marie Anastasio, Chris Marcotte, Chai Teacup, Thesbian, Nothing is Certain Except Beth and Taxes, Janae C, Musical Hell, Russ Walker, Jon Vanouse, Brent Black, Eloise Fitzgerald, Monica Thoreau, Ewan Cassidy, and Layton A.

[31:25] Jesse McAnally: They all give us a little extra financial support that helps us keep the lights on here at Musicals with Cheese. And if you would like to join them in supporting us and get all the fun perks we talked about, plus more, plus our Discord page, plus a backlog of Patreon-only content, which is Patreon-only once again. You can only hear all of our commentaries and bonus episodes over at Patreon right now. Come join us over there.

[31:47] Andrew DeWolf: All right. Are we ready to get back to the show?

[31:55] Jesse McAnally: Musicals with Cheese.

[31:59] Jesse McAnally: We're starring in the Broadway musical She Loves Me. It's about finding love the old-fashioned way. A true personal edge. How retro. There's a beautiful leading lady. That's me. Actually, that's me. Oh. There's the funny, flirty one. Well, that's me. And of course, the leading man. Hey, ladies, sorry I'm late. Dibs. She Loves Me, a musical comedy from the writers of Fiddler on the Roof. Starring Laura Benanti, Zachary Levi, and Jane Krakowski. Now on Broadway.

[32:29] Andrew DeWolf: You don't have it? And where will I find it?

[32:34] Jesse McAnally: When you can't seem to find the baseball that's been signed, that's on eBay. A new toy you can find, the men's suit that's silk-lined, that's on eBay. Phones that ring, organizer thing, jazz or swing, nice bling bling, that's on eBay. Buy today and it's on its way. Other users say you will feel okay, that's on eBay.

[32:59] Jesse McAnally: Da da da ya da da da ya.

[33:04] Musicals with cheese.

[33:08] Jesse McAnally: It's time for everyone's favorite part of the show, where we compare our opinions to those of the real critics at The New York Times and The New York Post. It's time for Previews Classic.

[33:17] Andrew DeWolf: It's time for Previews.

[33:20] Jesse McAnally: Previews.

[33:23] Andrew DeWolf: It's time for Previews.

[33:25] Jesse McAnally: Oh, not The New York Post.

[33:32] Andrew DeWolf: It's back.

[33:32] Jesse McAnally: It's back to the original Previews format, where I forced people to try to read New York critics' writing that is like them smelling their own farts.

[33:42] Andrew DeWolf: I do remember this, and I will say I do believe the Ben Shapiro impression is going to be retired, simply because no one gives a fuck about Ben Shapiro anymore.

[33:54] Jesse McAnally: Um, you gotta work on your Elon Musk.

[33:58] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, did you see what Elon Musk is? Elon Musk is going to make a remake of The Odyssey that's historically accurate using Grok.

[34:05] Andrew DeWolf: I'm, um, I'm, uh, I'm going to remake The Odyssey with, um, with Grok because, um, it was very, um, woke.

[34:16] Jesse McAnally: That's my Elon.

[34:16] Andrew DeWolf: That's, that's the best.

[34:17] Jesse McAnally: Pretty good Elon.

[34:19] Andrew DeWolf: You just make him sound like a pure simpleton, which I appreciate.

[34:23] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, that's what he sounds like.

[34:24] Andrew DeWolf: He does. He sounds like an idiot. It's like, I run a government agency. Yeah, look at me. I, um, I run Doge, which, um, Doge, it's, do you know the, do you know the meme, Doge? It's like the meme, Doge.

[34:40] Jesse McAnally: Can you do Elon Musk in describing Schmigadoon?

[34:45] Andrew DeWolf: Schmigadoon, um, it's, do, have you, have you seen a Broadway show, um, before? It's, it's very much like that. It's very, it's a lot, very much so like, um, a Broadway musical.

[34:59] Jesse McAnally: That's 10 points.

[35:02] Andrew DeWolf: That's what I've got.

[35:03] Jesse McAnally: That's what I've got. Um, let's take a look at the New York Post's first review. Um, they, they titled it Schmigadoon, Tired Parody of Broadway's Golden Age is Been There, Doone That by Johnny Olasinke.

[35:19] Andrew DeWolf: Nice, been there, doone that. I imagine they wrote the title of that and then wrote the review. Like, I think they had that title in their head before they even saw the show.

[35:24] Jesse McAnally: They're like, I have to hate it.

[35:31] Andrew DeWolf: Not even that, it's like, well, if I hate it, it's been there, doone that. Um, the review says, in the early aughts, it was all the rage on Broadway for musicals to send up the other musicals. First, there was Urinetown and the Browsy Chaperone, two nerdy parodies that were very funny and had teeth. In 2005, Monty Python's Spamalot had David Hype here saying, you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews. And much later in 2015, the Renaissance had something rotten, put a Shakespearean spin on the subgenre. After that, the musicals about musicals moment has felt finally kaput.

[36:09] Jesse McAnally: Well.

[36:10] Andrew DeWolf: He's got a point.

[36:11] Jesse McAnally: He's got a point. I agree. And the thing is, I didn't even like most of those. I'm not a big fan of musicals making fun of musicals. It's kind of like telling an inside joke just to yourself. Something rotten was fun, but it's like.

[36:28] Andrew DeWolf: How often have you gone to listen to something rotten?

[36:31] Jesse McAnally: They don't have any staying power.

[36:32] Andrew DeWolf: That's it.

[36:33] Jesse McAnally: Yeah.

[36:33] Andrew DeWolf: And the thing is, well, wait a schmig, the formerly dormant trend active once again with Schmigadoon and the blinding new show at the Nederlander Theater based on the cancelled Apple TV comedy series about a New York couple whose relationship is put to the test. They become trapped inside of a musical old fangled to a fault. The show held some appeal to the traditional set who bristle at the season's revivals, only winding the clock back as far as 1975. But the musical with a book and musical lyrics by Cinco Paul is confused as to what it's supposed to be. If it's an ode to Golden Age Broadway classics, why does it make them seem so cloying and stupid? If it's cutting parody of the likes of Brigadoon in Oklahoma, why is the tone hallmark schmaltzy and the jokes surface skimming, basic and unclever? Maybe on TV, mocking musicals for merely containing singing and dancing is enough to get laughs. On 41st Street, you've got to do a lot better than that.

[37:34] Andrew DeWolf: He's got a point.

[37:35] Jesse McAnally: Okay, so I can see that because when you make a show like this for a TV show, you're playing to normies, you know, to use internet terminology. You're playing to people who, when they think of musicals, they think, oh, that's where they just sing and dance for no reason. That's so dumb. And they don't have any more nuance beyond that. It's just musicals are where they sing and dance for no reason. It's so dumb. They've never seen one. Their greatest idea of one is like fucking Sound of Music or something. That's the most they've probably seen of one. They're just like, yeah, they just sing and dance. It's like, why would you? Can you imagine if I just started singing? That would be crazy. And yeah, I think you've got a bit of a point there.

[38:22] Andrew DeWolf: That is kind of what they're doing in this a little bit, to an extent. They wrap it up by saying, Melissa and Josh are ready to leave Schmigadoon, and so are we. I walked away contemplating if somewhere buried in there is a smart, hilarious musical that questions, and not so sappily, the point of old musicals today.

[38:40] Jesse McAnally: I think that's a fair review.

[38:43] Andrew DeWolf: I think I agree. I don't know if I would be quite so negative, but honestly, I think I just grade on a less harsh of a scale. If I was like a theater critic for a living, maybe seeing something like this would make me go like, man, what are we doing here? This review reminded me of something that happened literally within the last week, where Miranda and I went to go see a production of the last five years. I won't say where. But her consensus, when she left, is, I wonder if people that hate musicals just have only seen community theater.

[39:10] Jesse McAnally: Damn.

[39:24] Andrew DeWolf: Like, people are like, if people that hate musicals just haven't seen the right musical. But there is an internal wrongness to people singing in front of you. And if it is not hitting every single one of those beats at absolute pitch perfect, it is ridiculous to watch. And you are secondhand cringing.

[39:45] Jesse McAnally: I think that there's a certain crowd that no matter what you really do, they just can't accept musicals. I always think of people I've met who, they like these outlandish movies and genres. They'll love goofy ass horror movies and shit. But then musicals, it's like, oh, absolutely not. That's absurd. How could I watch people sing and dance? It's just, it doesn't make any sense. And it's like, I think some people just don't respect the idea of just a spectacle for the sake of it, you know? It's just like, they just sing and dance. That's it. They're just doing it, you know? Just accept it.

[40:29] Andrew DeWolf: Can you give us a little reading of a snippet of the New York Times review?

[40:34] Andrew DeWolf: Of course. New York Times, Schmigadoon Review. Oh, what a beautiful send up. Cinco Paul's loving spoof of golden age musicals adopted from a TV series comes to Broadway, where its charming musical numbers can really shine. A send up of musicals needs to fulfill three major requirements. It must know its stuff inside out. It must be precisely crafted. And of course, it must be funny. Let's just dispense with the suspense. Cinco Paul's Schmigadoon hits the trifecta. This new Broadway show, which opened on Monday at the Nederlander Theater, is a blast.

[41:19] Jesse McAnally: Let's pause right here. When did Broadway New York Times reviews become Gene Shalit reviews? Where everything is a fucking pun.

[41:28] Andrew DeWolf: This is extremely positive. I'm surprised. This is too positive for the New York Times. It's actually weirding me out. The New York Times has kind of become a parody of itself. And I know we give Ben Brantley so much shit.

[41:42] Jesse McAnally: Right, Felicia.

[41:43] Andrew DeWolf: So hero reviews, though. This is like an ad read.

[41:54] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, like I don't want to accuse anyone, but it stinks a little of a language model.

[42:05] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, I'm reading this. Should we run this? Should we run this through an AI filter?

[42:09] Jesse McAnally: I don't want to claim anyone, but I didn't include names. But reading this was kind of surprising for me. Not because I thought it was like the worst review ever, or even that I can't couldn't believe someone would actually believe this. It just felt false.

[42:29] Andrew DeWolf: It felt like an imitation of a New York Times review.

[42:33] Jesse McAnally: It's not just smart. It's clever, you know, like and it's like quoting everything. Like the premise itself comes straight from Lunar and Lowe's Brigadoon, in which a pair of tourists stumble upon a mysterious helmet that manifests its outside world every once every hundred years. Here they are, Josh and then all his, you know, multi-hyphenates, Melissa, as doctors whose relationship is hit a rough patch. Lost in the woods during a couple's retreat, they cross a bridge and find themselves at which is both a village and a mindset, both clever and smart.

[43:18] Andrew DeWolf: Maybe it's just that language models have been trained on so many like, you know, New York Times reviews and press snippets. But I don't know, it threw me off a bit.

[43:29] Jesse McAnally: I scanned this through two AI detectors and they all they both say zero percent.

[43:34] Andrew DeWolf: Well, that's so. It's probably not written by an actual AI, but it does feel like.

[43:39] Jesse McAnally: It feels like helped by AI with the editing, but it really wasn't written by AI.

[43:43] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I wasn't saying that. I'm more saying that it's become so homogenized, the language models that we have, that it all just sounds the same.

[43:54] Jesse McAnally: I just I feel like reading through this, and maybe this isn't the full thing. Maybe this is just an extra.

[43:58] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[43:59] Jesse McAnally: Excerpt, yes. It feels like there's no real critique in here, and I'm not saying that you can't write a positive review, but usually even positive reviews will have like things like I liked this thing. They could have worked a little on this, but like, you know, it just feels like there's nothing.

[44:18] Andrew DeWolf: Well, also, Ben Brantley was like one of our most famous conversations is how Ben Brantley didn't review the cabaret revival. He reviewed the audience of the cabaret revival.

[44:25] Jesse McAnally: I appreciate that a little bit, though. That was funny as hell.

[44:31] Andrew DeWolf: It's dumb, and he should have reviewed the actual show, but I think it's OK to sometimes mention like here was how I experienced it.

[44:39] Jesse McAnally: I think it's OK.

[44:41] Andrew DeWolf: As long as you actually review the show at some point in your review, which that was really the real critique. He did not. But if you're like if you mention like, oh, I settled into the audience and I was surrounded by blah, blah, blah, and we were blah, blah, blah, blah, like, you know, like, I think that's interesting. It's it's you're reviewing you're reviewing an experience of sorts, right?

[45:12] Jesse McAnally: Yes, this does not feel like a review of somebody who sat in a theater and watch this.

[45:20] Andrew DeWolf: Well, that's all for the reviews. I don't know if we agree with either of them fully, but we definitely read them.

[45:27] Jesse McAnally: We did. What do you think of the songs? First of all, let's talk about the title song. The Schmigadoon, which is a play on Oklahoma.

[45:51] Andrew DeWolf: It's fine. I mean, that's the thing with a lot of these songs, too, is that they're obviously trying to do that old musical style.

[46:01] Jesse McAnally: Which I appreciate because you don't hear anymore.

[46:05] Andrew DeWolf: It's true. And I like it, but it also it somewhat makes them a little less memorable because they're not really trying to do their own thing.

[46:13] Jesse McAnally: So which is why a song like Corn Puddin' stands out because there isn't a one to one comparison of Corn Puddin' to anything.

[46:22] Andrew DeWolf: And that's kind of what has become the marketing of this show and the original show.

[46:27] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, there's like there's a Corn Puddin' recipe somewhere on the Internet when the show came out. Like and that was the only advertising they ever had was something about Corn Puddin'.

[46:40] Andrew DeWolf: Could you put corn in pudding and have it be good?

[46:43] Jesse McAnally: You put corn in the pudding for the pudding in the bowl. Put the bowl in your belly because it's good for the soul. That's the recipe, Andrew.

[46:47] Andrew DeWolf: Corn Puddin' in the dish.

[46:50] Jesse McAnally: It just doesn't look like that. It's like in a baking dish. So it's kind of like what is it? The British puddings that are technically a baked good.

[47:01] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, kind of.

[47:02] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, like Corn Puddin' is not a gloppy mess in a big pot. It's like in a baking dish. It's got a crust on it. Like it's like a cornbread variant.

[47:11] Andrew DeWolf: Gross.

[47:12] Jesse McAnally: I mean, I feel like cornbread. I'm sure it's great. But cornbread's gross, guys.

[47:17] Andrew DeWolf: I love cornbread.

[47:17] Jesse McAnally: I love cornbread. Don't even say that.

[47:20] Andrew DeWolf: You're all on drugs. When you say you don't like cornbread, do you not like any cornbread? Or do you not like cornbread that has corn in it?

[47:25] Jesse McAnally: Well, let me say this. I like cornbread when it's homemade by people. I hate like the Texas Roadhouse or like barbecue place cornbread.

[47:37] Andrew DeWolf: Do you like sweet cornbread or like no sugar cornbread?

[47:40] Jesse McAnally: I think it's a texture thing for me, if I'm being real honest. Like, yeah, I love cornbread. I love a sweet cornbread. I love a sweet cornbread like like as a snack.

[47:50] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. I guess I'm just in the weird one.

[47:54] Jesse McAnally: I do want to talk a little bit about Not That Kind of Girl, Mackenzie Kurtz number in Act 1.

[48:00] Andrew DeWolf: My reputation is that I'm an awful flirt cause I smile and I pat my eyes and like to squish my skirt. But unless you eat dinner, you ain't getting no dessert. Cause I'm not that kind of gal.

[48:12] Jesse McAnally: Oh, OK, good. Because you are far too...

[48:18] Andrew DeWolf: From the day I was born, my papa warned me about romance. Taught me all manner of laws and don't deserve a second glance. So I'm kinda disgusted by whatever's in your pants. Cause I'm not that kind of gal.

[48:32] Jesse McAnally: So I just I can't say no from Oklahoma?

[48:35] Andrew DeWolf: Well, yes, but at least it's better than Enjoy the Ride Part 2 where Doug Cameron does something like just sings the same song as Aaron Tveit.

[48:45] Jesse McAnally: Yeah, that's true.

[48:46] Andrew DeWolf: And she like pulls out like phallic symbols and titty symbols and all that while singing. And she's much better at telling the jokes than Dove Cameron.

[49:00] Jesse McAnally: I feel like Dove Cameron was kind of embarrassed to be in Schmigadoon.

[49:04] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, she was. Until season 2. She's really good in season 2 from what I've seen. Like she was committing and more in that comfort zone.

[49:07] Jesse McAnally: Good. I'm glad she wasn't Glinda. She made some new music that's actually pretty good.

[49:21] Andrew DeWolf: I'll take your word for it.

[49:23] Jesse McAnally: Andrew, do you remember the song?

[49:26] Andrew DeWolf: Vaguely, I definitely remember the visual gags. I don't know about the song itself, though. I mainly remember the song ending with Alex Brightman holding two melons on his chest. That's the main thing I remember.

[49:36] Andrew DeWolf: I definitely remember that. I remember that part.

[49:39] Jesse McAnally: Well, I remember Mackenzie Kurtz going into a full splits and going tee hee. That was fun.

[49:44] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, that was good, too. She's still good in this.

[49:48] Jesse McAnally: Did they fuck?

[49:49] Andrew DeWolf: No, absolutely not. She's not that kind of girl.

[49:52] Jesse McAnally: No, no, they lightly kissed and then he got a gun to his head and he was forced to propose.

[49:58] Andrew DeWolf: It seems like she might be that kind of girl, though.

[50:01] Jesse McAnally: But no, she's not. No, she's just a tease, maybe.

[50:04] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it's the Madonna whore complex, the virgin whore complex. And Mackenzie Kurtz is an actress coming right out of Heathers. She was Heather McNamara off-Broadway.

[50:17] Jesse McAnally: The red Heather?

[50:19] Andrew DeWolf: Yes, the first Heather.

[50:20] Jesse McAnally: Heather that dies.

[50:21] Andrew DeWolf: Heather Chandler.

[50:22] Jesse McAnally: Chandler, yes. Chandler's the main Heather. She played her incredibly well and just brought so much comedy to that role. And she then moved to this, and I think she's going to be the next Bernadette Peters. You can quote me on that.

[50:36] Andrew DeWolf: And now here's the wacky thing. I don't think there's anything worth talking about Act One. Because I've got two things in Act One.

[50:44] Jesse McAnally: No, in Act One, like that's the only two things I had to talk about. And Enjoy the Ride is like one of the four songs written for the actual musical. And it's better.

[50:55] Andrew DeWolf: Then we have With All Your Heart, which is my number one favorite song from the TV show. And it remains my number one favorite song in this musical.

[51:10] Jesse McAnally: It's very Tim Mention-esque.

[51:34] Andrew DeWolf: It's like a proper, like, kind of like, let's do spelling and do clever wordplay. And also, I get to be really cute and do like little dances.

[51:45] Jesse McAnally: But does she know that they're all adults?

[51:47] Andrew DeWolf: That was only the case for the stage version and the TV show. They're all children.

[51:56] Jesse McAnally: I did think that part was very funny, though.

[51:58] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I kind of wish they did that in the actual show.

[52:03] Jesse McAnally: That is, it was a good bit. Like a lot. But once again, I kind of agree with the thing is just like, we are poking holes in the conceit of being in a musical every five seconds. It's like that scene from the Annie remake. But like every five scenes instead of every other line.

[52:21] Andrew DeWolf: That is kind of all the Annie remake is just like, man, isn't it weird that we're singing? We're singing a song.

[52:27] Jesse McAnally: Andrew, do you have any thoughts of that aside from what we just said?

[52:35] Andrew DeWolf: No.

[52:36] Jesse McAnally: Get away from it. I guess the last thing we should talk about is Tribulation, which is Miss Layton's big You Got Trouble song.

[52:41] Andrew DeWolf: Lyin' there like passed out drunks in the gutter, turnin' town square into the floor of a saloon. The home of loose women and hooch happy sinners. A petting pantry in the middle of the street. Is that what our town's become? Is that the future we want for our children? I'm telling you things