Schmigadoon!
Musical · 2021
Josh Skinner, an orthopedic surgeon, and Melissa Gimble, an OBGYN, meet one night at their New York City hospital's vending machine and share a meet cute, leading to the beginning of a romantic relationship. The couple is happy at first but over the course of two years, their relationship grows strained and, feeling that Josh no longer wishes to fix their relationship problems, Melissa signs them up for a couples' retreat in the Catskills. One night, whilst lost in the woods during a rainstorm, they are in an argument and unknowingly stumble upon a bridge that leads them into the town of Schmigadoon. All of a sudden, music begins playing and they are welcomed through song by Mayor Aloysius Menlove and the townsfolk ("Schmigadoon!"). Though Josh is instantly ready to leave, Melissa convinces him to stay and they are escorted to the Schmigadoon Inn by Mildred Layton, Reverend Layton's wife who is instantly wary of their presence in town. That night, Melissa wanders alone into the town fair, ran by "rapscallion" Danny Bailey. He instantly takes a liking to her, but declares to her that he has no intentions of settling down with anyone, though he is briefly able to imagine sharing a life and children with Melissa. ("You Can't Tame Me"). She applauds his song, which he claims he doesn't know he was singing, and she decides to leave. The next morning, she and Josh, towards whom their waitress, Betsy, is flirtatious, have breakfast and are told by the town about their favorite dish ("Corn Puddin'"). As they try to leave town, they are unable to cross the bridge out of town and a leprechaun appears to tell them that until they find true love, they are stuck in Schmigadoon, "where life's a musical every day," ("Leprechaun Song"). They realize they are trapped in a literal musical and, after failing to cross again, Josh suggests that what they have must not be true love and that they should try to leave with other people in town. They begin to argue and Melissa realizes that Josh truly doesn't believe in their relationship and breaks up with him ("Lovers' Spat"). Betsy appears, consoling him over the breakup, and tells him about the town picnic basket auction that night, where the men of town bid on baskets made up by the women to go on a date with them to raise money for the town library. He agrees to go and she tells him how to spot her basket. Meanwhile, in the woods, Melissa encounters Mayor Menlove and he consoles her, alluding to his own repressed desires of love. Melissa realizes that he is gay and they form a friendship ("Somewhere Love Is Waiting for You"). Later, at the auction, Melissa gets intoxicated by drinking from the gentleman's punch bowl and, after watching Josh bid on and subsequently win Betsy's basket, auctions herself off, being won by Danny ("The Picnic Basket Auction"). Back at the fair, Melissa finds herself further attracted to Danny and finally gets her own song and dance to express her feelings, leading her to spend the night with him ("Enjoy the Ride"). Meanwhile, Josh and Betsy share a picnic in the woods and, realizing she is much younger than he thought, he tries to tell her that they won't be engaging in any romantic behavior ("I'm Not That Kinda Gal"). However, she kisses him anyways and they are discovered by her father, Farmer McDonough, who threatens him with a shotgun to propose to her. The next morning, Danny announces that he is in love with her ("You Done Tamed Me") but she tells him that he was just a casual rebound for her. Believing he has gotten Melissa pregnant (despite her informing him about her IUD), he vows that he will get money to support her and their child, even if it means stealing it. She leaves him and upon arriving at the town square, hears of Josh's engagement to Betsy ("I'm Engaged"). He explains that he had no choice and she tells him to end the engagement while she looks for someone to house them, as Mildred has had them banned from the Inn. However, Josh realizes that Betsy may be his ticket out of Schmigadoon and so invites her for a walk across the bridge, claiming that he has a family tradition in which he must cross a bridge with his betrothed to make sure it's true love. After they fail to leave the town, he calls off the engagement, and Betsy runs crying to her father. Josh decides he will try to cross the bridge with every other girl in town, in hopes that one of them may be his true love. Melissa visits the Mayor's wife, Florence, for help and she tells Melissa that Doc Lopez, the town doctor, is looking for a new nurse and that the position would come with room and board. They bond over their shared struggles with the men in their life, with Florence specifically being unsure why Aloysius' actions are so queer ("What's the Matter with Men?"). Just then, Melissa learns that the engagement is off and believes that Josh may finally be able to commit to them, until she discovers his operation at the bridge ("Cross That Bridge"). She leaves him for the last time and goes to apply for Doc Lopez's nurse position, immediately finding herself attracted to him, while Josh realizes that the last girl he needs to try crossing the bridge with is local schoolmarm, Emma Tate. The townsfolk speculate on what may happen and tell the audience that they'll find out in the second act ("Act I Finale"). Josh, who has been hired as Emma's handyman, arrives during her class and, after seemingly giving up on a task right away, is schooled by her and her students on the importance of commitment ("With All of Your Heart"). At the same time, Melissa has been hired as Doc's nurse and when he turns away an expectant couple, Nancy and Freddy, due to them being unwed, she informs them about the medical realities of childbirth ("Baby Talk"). In the town square, at the multifaith bakesale, Mayor Menlove and the Reverend Layton form a bond over their shared love of rhubarb squares and other pastries ("I Thought I Was the Only One"). Back at the school, Josh is discovered by Farmer McDonough, who once again threatens him with his shotgun, until Emma takes it from him and tells him to leave Josh alone and let Betsy make her own decisions. Josh begins to bond with Emma, feeling like he's finally found another level-headed person in town, but when music begins to play and he angrily decides to stop opening up with her, she leaves. He goes to ask Melissa for help at the doctor's office and she tells him that his situation is most similar to The Music Man, and suggests buying Carson, Emma's younger brother, a trumpet, while also telling him that he will eventually have to sing to express his feelings to her. When Nancy arrives in labor, Josh assists Melissa in delivering the baby and she wishes him good luck with Emma. Doc Lopez returns, outraged that Melissa would defy his orders and deliver the baby, when all of a sudden Danny arrives and threatens Doc with a knife, trying to stage a robbery to provide for the baby he still believes Melissa is having. However after falling on his own knife, he dies ("You Done Killed Me"). At Danny's funeral ("When the Night is Darkest"), Reverend Layton tells the congregation that they should live each day as their fullest selves, prompting Mayor Menlove to come out as homosexual in front of his wife and the rest of the town, following Melissa's suggestion ("Somewhere Love is Waiting for You (Coming Out Reprise)"). This pushes Mildred over the edge, and she realizes she must take matters into her own hands to revert the town back to its old self. Later, Josh surprises Carson with a kazoo, as he couldn't find a trumpet anywhere, and is able to inspire Carson to be himself. This impresses Emma, and Josh realizes Melissa was right. At the Doctor's Office, Doc Lopez apologizes to Melissa for being so close-minded and realizes that she can help him change to become a better man. He tells her that he finds himself falling in love with her and, across town, Emma tells Josh the same thing in a shared duet ("Suddenly"). Melissa and Doc Lopez begin a relationship as Josh and Emma do the same. The next day, Mildred begins a smear campaign against Josh and Melissa, riling up the townsfolk into deciding that they should elect her as the next mayor of Schmigadoon in the upcoming election ("Tribulation"). On a picnic date with Josh, Emma reveals that she is actually Carson's mother, not his sister, as she has told the rest of the town. Both Josh and Carson, who has overheard this, accept her for who she is and decide to cross the bridge with Josh to begin a new life in New York. At the Doctor's office, Melissa and Doc Lopez are surprised by the arrival of Doc's fiancee, Countess Gabrielle von Blerkom, who threatens Melissa with a pistol for trying to steal her man. Doc tells the Countess that their engagement is off, as he has fallen in love with Melissa, and proposes to her on the spot. However, she is conflicted about what to answer and realizes that she is still in love with Josh ("Melissa's Epiphany"). Doc and the Countess tell Melissa to go tell Josh her true feelings and she runs off to do so. Meanwhile, as Josh, Emma, and Carson prepare to leave town, he is struck by his memories of his first time meeting Melissa ("Dream Ballet") and Emma realizes that he still has feelings for her. She similarly tells Josh to express his true love for her and he runs off. In the town square, the mayoral election is underway ("Election Day") and the entire town is prepared to vote for Mildred. Josh and Melissa arrive and while Melissa apologizes for being a perfectionist in their relationship and tells him that she does believe he is her true love. In response, he finally sings to her, finally expressing that he feels the same and is truly in love with her ("You Make Me Wanna Sing"). Mildred shames them, and still insists that they have caused chaos in Schmigadoon, though Emma and the other townfolk insist that they have changed it for the better.
