schmicago | every musical reference in episode 6 | season 2 of Schmigadoon! review + analysis

[@sarahd.5244]

When they got back to the real world, we also saw Josh mentoring a bunch of younger doctors/medical students. He'd said in the last episode he enjoyed "being a teacher" to the hippies and helping them out, and that's something he carried with him!

[@kathyfraeman5532]

The final shot was referencing the final shot of the Godspell movie. Also, Cinco Paul appears in the crowd of the final scene.

[@garretts874]

It looks like it was filmed at the same location too.

[@SM-BSW]

The "I'll drink to that" Lady is this season's Pete!

[@garretts874]

I read Arianna only could film for 3 days so while I missed her, I get it.

[@jamiegdubois]

I also heard this as well.

[@lustforlimerence]

ahh that explains it. i missed her presence but i kind of just inferred that she had other projects happening, and her song in the final episode did not disappoint at all

[@sophiaruizuvalle2523]

I mean she had a REALLY busy year as a newly Academy Award Winner

[@etherealtb6021]

I figured it was something like that!

[@wriggleby]

When Josh was telling parables one of them was based on Air Bud, which is the movie he told the little music man kid (his name escapes me) about in season one!

[@HollyGoDarkly1313]

I fell down a rabbit hole and found the dress. It’s a flapper version of what La Streisand wears in a 1973 TV special called Barbra Streisand and other Musical instruments

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

You have done EXCEPTIONAL work here! 👏

[@kingarthurslance]

Pippin is probably my favourite musical and I was not expecting how much of it we’d get this season. Them doing basically the entire ending blew me away!

[@IshScout]

I really love the show & want it to go on forever buuuuut I feel like we left the story in such a nice place that in order to get a solid 3rd (final?) season we'd need a time jump to focus on their child finding a modern musical version of the town (maybe their High School) If this was the end though it was such a strong season with only a few "low points" that nobody should feel too sad.

[@lillithhickling7657]

I absolutely adore this as an idea, would love for them to do this!

[@SM-BSW]

I don't know if you've ever seen Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder's Young Frankenstein... But Gene once said that he wrote young Frankenstein to face his fear of the Frankenstein movies, and change the ending. I feel like this season of Schmicago, does something similar with the Dooley Blight/Mrs Codwell story arc. It's like they gave Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett the good ending ™️

[@rosiep796]

At some point, whether it’s S3 or potentially a S4 👀, I need Dove Cameron to play a version of Audrey from Little shop of horrors cause I just think that would be spectacular also Audrey kind of fits with her other characters so far

[@sharonschoenberg9059]

That would be great

[@the55guyoffical]

Or possibly a parody of mal from descendants

[@CinnamonQuills]

The piano underscoring on the Something Real reprise was PURE "Seasons of Love" from Rent, and the song included a repeated "one more day" lyric that was probably a Les Miz nod. The vibe of the "Happy Beginnings" song was also very "For Now" from Avenue Q. At first I had a hard time really placing the era of the final number, then I realized - as we move into 80s-90s musicals, the hyper-stylized music of the Golden Age and 70s musicals fade into numbers that just sound like "normal" songs to us.

[@RhodaPugh-u9z]

Last shot is the exact same last shot from the movie “Godspell”. They even use the exact same corner in NYC

[@rachelfishbein1478]

Maybe a coincidence or another intentional Easter egg, but part of what made me crack up super hard with Kraty's death is the fact that Kristen Chenoweth (who once played Christine Daae) cut down the chandelier. It was a perfect moment in the conclusion of the season 🤣

[@PS-DLMA]

When was Chenoweth Christine?

[@rachelfishbein1478]

@@PS-DLMA In the '90s. Not on Broadway. It was a different version that toured Germany in 1994/1995 that was just called "Phantom," but same story. She also regularly features songs from POTO in her concerts.

[@mikaylaeager7942]

According to Broadway by Ghostlight that street corner is the exact corner from the Godspell movie, but I think the color returning could also be a nod to Wizard of Oz.

[@caoimhehanavan3259]

Aaron Tveit was definitely a highlight this season

[@thespooniestitcher]

I love that this episode came out on Cinco's birthday and that he wrote it and made a cameo. Such a great show!!! Favorite reference of the season was probably "Bustin Out" because the song it was based on "You Could Drive A Person Crazy" was inspired by the Andrews Sisters. So the fact that they went full Andrews Sisters in the parody song is just full circle. I love that! Standout star for me was JANE! OMG give the woman an Emmy now!!!

[@fundifferent1]

The Dreamgirls number "Over and Done" also references "I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls. In fact, the outro to "Over and Done" is pretty much the same as "I Am Changing" outro, even more so than "And I am Telling You", which is referenced more so in the middle of Ariana's number, especially with the orchestration. There were a lot of Dreamgirls references in the choreography. Watch the back up dancers for little Easter Eggs. Effie White usually reaches out at the end of her big number and the backup dancers do it the way Jennifer Hudson does in the film. Also a lot of people missed that the first note/chord of the I Want More/ Something Real reprise is the same chord for Seasons of Love from Rent. Even though Happy Beginnings is its own song based on Rainbow Connection, there are several small references to musicals like Godspell and Into The Woods tucked away in there. There is a bridge where they sing "You're okay. You're okay. I'm okay. I'm okay" which is similar to the "You're so nice. You're not good. You're not bad. You're just nice" in Into The Woods Last Midnight And yes, the final shot is a re-creation of the final shot in Godspell, which you can find on KZbin.

[@if3359]

And there's also the "One Day More" reference in "A Happy Beginning"

[@elisasegal8153]

Omg. Ariana. Utter perfection, from the vocals to the delivery. I watched it over and over. Stunning. Season 3: "Schming Awakening"?😂😂😂

[@societycrumbles]

Kristin Chenoweth joked it would be called "Schmicked" and I love it, haha.

[@elisasegal8153]

@@societycrumbles Perfect!!

[@dogvom]

"Happy Beginning" is totally "Everybody's Got the Right" from _Assassins._ It has the same swing to it and it features a theme that Sondheim stated or implied in a lot of his shows: happy endings don't exist, and knowing that is kind of empowering. On the other hand, Sondheim would never willingly accent the word "of" in "There's little chance OF success."

[@SM-BSW]

The last shot is from the Godspell movie. It was filmed on the same corner and everything! Here's the clip for reference kzbin.infoUgkx-DkpeT4a7kS0aloEFhaZBS-iLRe-qAtl

[@MySUPERkate]

Praying there’s a series 3! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@n8f2f]

The last shot referenced the last shot in the movie, Godspell.

[@zelamorre1126]

Not sure if it was a direct reference (because it's definitely not a musical) but that scene where Dooley cuts off her dress gave me major "The Mask of Zorro" vibes.

[@Tomas-Odebrant]

I was lucky enough to see the original Broadway performance of Dreamgirls with Jennifer Holliday in the 80-ies at my first vist to the USA. The only problem was that I was so jet-lagged that I sometimes fell asleep in my seat during the more quiet parts!

[@SM-BSW]

I wonder if the opening scene of the narrator flipping the lights on before Ariana's number was a nod to the 4th wall breaking finale of Pippin and also the "Don't Dream it Be It" number from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I SHUT DOWN A DREAM BALLET, I WILL SHUT THIS DOWN TOO! *Chef's kiss* perfect

[@sharonschoenberg9059]

My favorite line of the season

[@FedericoTedeschi]

Season 3: "Into the Schwoods", and let's tackle the 80's

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

I would be THRILLED

[@FedericoTedeschi]

@@MickeyJoTheatre I got some Little Red Riding Hood vibes from the coat Melissa was wearing in the last scene of the finale as well

[@johnbliss9330]

I agree that this season was better than S1. S1 was fun and clever, but this season was shaper, with more clear references, and different shows overlapping, which was so much fun.

[@PS-DLMA]

Lovett in "By The Sea" sings about legitimizing her "rumpled bedding"....

[@jackhenderson3876]

In terms of Season 3, I would want Les Schmigerables, with all the period piece musics but I think if that was the plan, they wouldn't have evoked Sweeney, Phantom, Annie etc so much. My prediction is Season 4 will be Schmignight Express - 80s fantasia like Midnight Express, Cats, Xanadu etc + 50s-cum-80s nostalgia like Grease and Hairspray. Hopefully we'll get to find out!

[@megwestfox2481]

One of Josh’s stories was also Goonies.

[@susanpolastaples9688]

Wizard of Oz has a color change, comes to mind

[@lindamoulton1560]

Re: the Officer Rivera and Narrator ending up together at the end, it sort of reminded me of the end of Thoroughly Modern Millie where Trevor Graydon ends up with Bun Ho (albeit as his Stenographer but it's usually staged in a big romantic "sweeping off the feet" moment). I loved it and that little exchange puts the biggest smile on my face whenever I replay it :) The last shot could be a kind of a reference to the ending shot of Singing in the Rain where it zooms out on Kathy and Don as it cuts from their embrace to their billboard of the film?

[@caponsacchi]

My first meeting of Ariana Debose was Season One. In her classroom scene alone she kills it--incomparable control of voice and body. I hope she wasn't censored out of Season 2 because of that suggestive costume.

[@LoraK31]

This probably wasn't intentional, but the last song gave me a similar vibe to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Spamalot. It wouldn't be the right era, but I still like the idea!

[@audramcdonaldapologist3676]

It’s supposed to sound like the Rainbow Connection from the muppet movie

[@bethswanson202]

Always Look at the Bright Side of Life is the funny song from Monty Python's "Life of Brian" (1979), when Brian and others are being crucified. It was incorporated into Spamalot many years later

[@PS-DLMA]

Patrick Page gave me all the creeps....and i am here for it :) And Judge Turpin does sing a similar melody to Johanna when he whips himself

[@sweeney60]

I’m kind of sad that there’s so little Jerry Herman in this show. Maybe it didn’t fit in with the overall theme of the show? I hope there will be a La Cage reference in season 3.

[@RosieG9012]

I saw a few sources saying that “A Happy Beginning” is based on “Rainbow Connection!”

[@audramcdonaldapologist3676]

4:29 Dreamgirls premiered in 1981 so probably, it is an 80s musical, albeit early ‘80s

[@sparilis]

Yes. Ariana's character giving us a peek at where we're going next, like she did in Season 1.

[@wriggleby]

I believe the final shot you referenced there is from the Godspell movie?

[@TheBurton14]

Such a fan! Have to ask about your pillows. I recognize Hamilton, Les Mis and DEH, but can’t place the red jacket and blue tie. Which show is that from??

[@anne_bckmnn]

Book of Mormon 😊

[@mobleyface]

Dream girls came out in 1981 and phantom came in ‘86

[@PS-DLMA]

I thought Steve leprachaun was Schwartz.....due to Pippin

[@victoriavasquez6167]

Did you see Cinco Paul in the end scene walking the street?

[@JackieWarner13]

If we don't get s3!

[@Hannah.Simpson]

The final scene is definitely a nod to Godspell in location and staging, but I’d also say it highly parallels the movie Pleasantville with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. Thematically that movie uses color in the exact same way as the characters realize themselves (for better or worse)… perhaps it’s a bit more on the nose to season one than season two, where the Schmigadoon Schmicago characters already started out more dynamic, but if this was a series finale as a whole (and I sure hope it isn’t) then it fits gorgeously overall seeing as they didn’t use it then. The grey to color is of course first seen in the Wizard of Oz, and was recently also used in early episodes of Wandavision in a manner very similar to Pleasantville. That is a movie that really needs a musical treatment. I kind of wish we had gotten some You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown nods in Season 2, since it was actually also of this era (and in my opinion is a better plotless vignette musical than Company). Other than that, this was just such a wonderful detailed show to enjoy on the surface and then dissect. Thank you Mickey Jo for all your insight and making it so fun to watch right before watching the week’s episode all over again.