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It’s hard to imagine how Jane Krakowski could one-up her Schmigadoon! season 1 mega musical number, during which she belted atop a moving car, as she’s suppose to be driving it. In the upcoming season two of the Apple TV+ series, the 30 Rock star has some new tricks up her sleeve — literally. This season, Jane steps into the shoes of Bobby Flanagan, creator Cinco Paul’s take on Chicago‘s crooked lawyer Billy Flynn, and her musical number includes some serious talent. “Well, Cinco had originally written that she comes in on a trapeze from the ceiling, and I was like, ‘Yes!’ because I love that sort of stuff. I love any of that physicality and certainly getting to learn something new,” Jane explained in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife.com. “I had never done trapeze, so I asked if I could stay on the trapeze and do a few more tricks during the number. And they said, ‘If you can learn some, we’ll film it.’”
Jane went on to reveal she went to a trapeze school in Vancouver, where Schmigadoon! season 2 was being filmed. “I tried to learn as much as I could under the COVID restrictions and put in whatever tricks we could achieve,” she said. “They were so wonderful to adapt the ceiling and the set so we could fly all through the courtroom!” She gushed, “Gosh, I love that stuff. It’s my favorite. I was in hog heaven there.”
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star is no stranger to Broadway or the stage and admitted that the musicals of the ’60s and ’70s, which season 2 parodies, are some of her favorites. “We’re definitely in the decades of the sexier, darker, edgier musicals. These are the musicals I grew up seeing and love. So, I couldn’t be more thrilled that we’re now in these decades,” she told HL. “I was just so thrilled to see what Cinco had written for me and the gifts of a hilarious character and a very showy number. So, I was very thankful.”
For all the Broadway fans out there, while Jane’s Bobby certainly takes from Chicago, there are also other musical references involved in the character from the likes of A Chorus Line and Company. “I love that her name is Bobby, which is clearly a reference to the latest Company revival, where the character of Bobby was played by a woman. Then, there’s musical references to ‘Tits and Ass’ from Chorus Line in my musical number,” Jane recalled. “And then of course, again, from Company, there’s the whole ‘not getting married’ section of my musical number, where Bobby gets to do her summation in the courtroom. So, all of our characters are an amalgamation of musical theater characters from those two decades!”
Schmigadoon! season two’s first two episodes drop on Apple TV+ April 5th.
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