Schmigadoon the musical is the house in which I grew up.
MANCHESTER, NH – Truly! From infancy, my mom always sang songs to me. They were, as I later learned, Broadway musical tunes and songs of all types. No matter what I asked, my mother would always respond – “There’s a song written about that,” and as I came to expect, she would launch into the song a cappella. No day passed by without hearing mom say, “There’s a song written about everything,” and what always followed was another song.
Sitting in the Nederlander Theatre watching a performance of Schmigadoon felt like I was home again. And like home for the holidays, I was surrounded by more than 50 family, friends and neighbors. A tight knit group with connections to Smyth Road School and Central High School, Manchester, New Hampshire.
Why Schmigadoon?
Alex Brightman (Joel Skinner) had me laughing and crying from the outset. I was him as a kid, with that questioning look, that “here we go again” acknowledgement that what comes next is another song. Sometimes serious, sometimes ridiculous but always at the heart of the matter. And heart really matters here. If you love theatre and Broadway musicals, Schmigadoon is the place to be.
I recognized snippets and fun flash moments from a huge number of hit shows from as far back as the 1940s and ’50s. Oklahoma, Singing in the Rain, Kiss Me Kate, Call me Madam and a gazillion others all flew by in creative ways. Some were quick and some stayed long enough to pay homage to the likes of Irving Berlin and Rodgers & Hammerstein. I’m sure I missed a few references but I would swear that I felt the presence of the Wicked Witch of the West.
There are matchmaker plots at work (think Hello Dolly and My Fair Lady). The foregone conclusion of finding true love is constantly at work and constantly swinging wildly off the mark. Love and music and humanity on full and silly display. The golden age of musicals has been brought back onto a Broadway stage with a twist. I laughed. I cried. I felt a whole lot better having been to see the live performance in New York City, “On Broadway.” (Yes, that’s a tune, too. Do I call this out or “Let it Go.” Neither were part of this show.)
Appreciating Mom and New York City
My mother and I loved Brigadoon. She taught me to appreciate New York City in its entirety. The Arts, architecture, the vast range of humanity on any given street corner. Music. Theatre. Twisted satire were appreciated full on and slapstick had its place. No day would go by without a song or three. She loved Richard Kiley and so we went to see Man of La Mancha in Manhattan. She taught me to read by reading Jack London’s “White Fang” over and over again until I could read the words aloud myself.
She read me Shakespeare and translated old English into modern day prose for comprehension. I was spellbound when Joseph Papp started Shakespeare in the Park (Central Park NYC) in the 1970s.
Earliest adventures included five-cent Staten Island ferry rides from Brooklyn to Richmond town restoration … long before it was a thing. We watched them build it. We ate nickel candy and learned to look up as we walked the streets of lower Manhattan and visited Francis Tavern. Explored gargoyles on buildings and iconic NYC rooftop water tanks leading me to a career in curiosity and photography.
Appreciating Manchester, NH, and The Palace Theatre
For Manchester, New Hampshire, Schmigadoon represents everything wonderful about live theater.
Max Clayton (Danny Bailey) and Kaleigh Cronin (Helen Pritt) are in the cast. Friends since early childhood, Max and Kaleigh got their start at the Palace Theatre. They took classes, performed on stage, left their marks and returned to teach master classes. We locals have watched their journeys to Broadway up close and very personal. While both have performed on Broadway multiple times, Schmigadoon is the first show they are in together. Our local NH Chronicle captured their long history highlights neatly in one of their recent episodes..
The group from New Hampshire included family friends and teachers from Central High School and, Smyth Road School. Feeling like Roadrunners, we left at 6 a.m. and didn’t return until the wee hours of the next morning.
Our arrival at the Nederlander Theatre was duly noted: “Manchester, New Hampshire is in the house.” How many guests? “A lot.” Big thank you to Aunt Jenny Clayton for the chocolate chip cookies that sustained us on the ride home. And I noted in a backstage photo posted by a cast member that there were several boxes of Aunt Jenny’s chocolate chip cookies stacked neatly off stage.
Yes, my life was and is Schmigadoon!
My high school girlfriend, turned amazingly patient wife, recognized the connection within minutes. Memories of past decades ignited tears and laughter at every turn. She whispered how my mom would have so appreciated Schmigadoon. To everything in life, there is a song.
YES dear Alex, a Song!
YES, MOM!
How I miss you so. How you would have embarrassed me by singing aloud or waving a rally flag to cheer me on.
Thank you, Christopher Gattelli, Director and Choreographer, for bringing me home.
Brigadoon was a sleeper. Schmigadoon grabs you and drags you along, willingly or not, into life itself. Thank you, Christopher Gattelli, Director and Choreographer, for bringing me home. Thank you to the entire cast and crew that brought to stage all that is good and loving and kind in the world.
How many musicals can one pay homage to in just two hours?
Which was your favorite growing up? Which ones make you laugh, make you cry, help you remember “how wonderful life is….”
Nominated for 12 Tony Awards
Schmigadoon and Manchester have a lot to cheer on here. Schmigadoon is tied for the lead with 12 nominations for this year’s Tony awards. The 79th running of the Tony Awards will take place this Sunday, June 7, 2026 at Radio City Music Hall.
Break a leg – Schmigadoon – and bring home the wins – we’ll be rooting for all of you!
