Interview: SCHMIGADOON Creator Cinco Paul Reveals His Writing Process For the New SCHMICAGO Season

So we're in a new era of musicals

How did you sort of go about deciding what shows you wanted to focus on and follow in this new season

Yeah, it's probably the criteria is which shows do I love personally

And then which shows most define the era? You know, so it was looking at the, you know, I think the era was defined by

complicated storylines and sort of darker storylines. So it was natural to go, well, it's going to be cabaret, it's going to be Chicago, it's going to be Sweeney, it's going to be Pippin, and then a little bit of Jesus Christ Superstar and some other things wrapped in

But those were really, I think early on I sort of focused on those five or six shows

Yeah, I mean, and even down to like the references in the music, it is so perfect

When you sort of start to decide on these shows, do you kind of do like a deep dive

to study them? How do you go about preparing for this? Yeah, I do a couple of things. I'll usually go create a playlist for myself of kind of the iconic

songs or just my favorite songs. And then I get the scores, you know, I have most of them already

and I'll sit down at the piano and play through them pretty much start to finish

just so I can get them in my bones, you know, and sort of feel, and start to understand the

tendencies of Sondheim or the tendencies of Stephen Schwartz and Kander and Ebb and so that kind of my homework That almost the first thing I do you know is where I think about like okay so what songs do I want to play with

Yeah. And then you have this stellar cast. I loved it because it was like you're pretty much working with the same people from the first season

but they all fit into their new characters so well. So how do you go about casting and deciding like who goes where for all these different musicals and references? Yeah

I mean, it's just knowing people's strengths and then also wanting to place them differently

than they were in the first season. I kind of wanted the second season

to be in a dialogue with the first season throughout. So while we were shooting season one

I started to figure out who would be which characters and I would pull people aside

and I told Dove, you're going to be Sally Bowles next season

and pulled Aaron aside and said, How'd you like to be Pippin and slash Jesus

And they were all thrilled because for them, you know, Aaron had never played Pippin

He'd never played Jesus in either Godspell or, so it's a chance to play roles that they'd always wanted to

but never got to. So that's part of the huge fun of this is saying like

okay, what shows do we have and we have this amazing array of talent

I get to figure out who's, I get to choose who gets to play which part. It's very fun

I know. I'm almost jealous. I mean, even watching it, I was like, wow, I never thought of how good Ariana

DeBose would be in Cabaret. And now I like oh I need like the full production now It so good And Kristen and and Allen in Sweeney Oh my God That would be amazing Yeah Well as you mentioned this is a little bit of like a darker season to what do you

hope audiences walk away with this season after watching it? Yeah, I think the message, you know, Josh and Melissa are experiencing joylessness

kind of this mellaz, which I think a lot of us are feeling because the pandemic and everything

And so this season is all about happiness and how do you find happiness in a world

that seems determined to rest it away from you. And so in the way, same way that Josh and Melissa go

on a journey to discover ways to find happiness in that world

hopefully those people watching this show will get some tips too. I think a big source of happiness for me

is song and dance. Not doing it, but watching other people do it

That's the foot. Any pain? What's wrong? That's the foot. It feels like we should be happier. Any pain? I want to schmigadoon

Happy people and bright colors. Smigadoon, where are you? Maybe it's one of those places that you only go once and never return

Oh, like cell cycle. Shmikago? Welcome to Schmikago

This is very different Now our heroes into the city of Schmigago Who is he talking to At one point a lot of musicals had narrators

Sorry, go ahead. Really? Do I have your permission? Uh-oh. He's peppery

Literally, we're in the next era of musicals here. Do we shock you

These musicals are darker. With more sex. Ooh, yay. And violence. 17th Murder

But you gotta be kidding me. How are we supposed to make a happy ending here

These musicals don't have happy endings. Sounds like someone needs a lesson in the power of happiness

Who wants to get naked? What I need is a lawyer. Once I've worked my magic, no jury will ever convict your hubby, even if he kills again

Josh didn't do it. Uh-huh. Endings that are tragic Welcome to

Welcome to Welcome to Welcome to Welcome to Welcome to Welcome to

Welcome to Chicago Sounds like another wild-nown Chicago So

You two want the girl You need my help To answer that question

No thank you