Metro Weekly magazine: 2019-08-29 edition (PDF)
By Metro Weekly Contributor
on
August 29, 2019
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"This is a joy bomb!" exclaims Christopher Gattelli. "You can't stop smiling and laughing while you're watching this show!"
That show is Schmigadoon! Not the streaming version that still resides in two glorious seasons on Apple TV+, but a brand-new stage adaptation of the first season of the romantic comedy that finds a couple struggling to regain the love in their relationship, suddenly trapped inside a musical where corn puddin' is the breakfast du jour. The show makes its World Premiere this weekend as part of the Kennedy Center's consistently magnificent Broadway Center Stage series.
The Kennedy Center's Broadway Center Stage continues its hot streak with the World Premiere production of Schmigadoon!, a rousing musical stage adaptation of the Emmy-winning Apple TV series.
Series co-creator Cinco Paul, who wrote all the songs for the two seasons of the loving sendup of musicals, also wrote the book, music, and lyrics translating Schmigadoon! from TV to stage. Condensing season one of the series into a robust two acts, Paul provides the streamlined vessel, and director-choreographer Christopher Gattelli (Death Becomes Her) expertly steers it to the magical town of Schmigadoon and back.
I am apologizing to Margaret Cho.
Not for anything I've said over the course of our lively hour-long phone interview one recent Saturday, but for this magazine's past transgressions.
This issue, you see, marks Cho's fourth appearance on a Metro Weekly cover in three decades, and I'm sheepishly begging forgiveness for how we handled the previous headlines, bastardizing her last name for the sake of a pun.
"Cho-Zen."
"On With the Cho."
"Cho Girl."
"It's all good," she laughs, taking it in stride. One thing about Margaret Cho is that she doesn't offend easily, if at all.
