I'd feel safer being a child actor in Chicago. It kind of felt like that a little bit. And I think that the worst example is "Shipoopi" from "Music Man," which is - it brings everything to a grinding halt, and then this Marcellus character is just singing this nonsense song that has nothing to do with anything. OK, can you just please tell us about the candidates? It's streaming on Apple TV+. And in many ways, that was Ken. How were you first exposed to musicals? You know, and then it took a while to really understand - here's all of the things we're going to put in place. He also co-wrote the animated films "Despicable Me," "The Secret Life Of Pets," "Horton Hears A Who!" Here's all the safety measures - until I finally felt safe. STRONG: No. She's taken all these concepts and just turned them into something confusing and wrong that she's very passionate about. PAUL: Well, it's kind of crazy. That was my parents' question. And I was enjoying watching it so much. Viewers noticed that longtime cast member Cecily Strong was missing from the show and its opening credits sparking rumors of her exit. And actually, I flew out of the chair the first time because, you know, I hadn't done much physical comedy on the show at all. Subsequent episodes released Fridays through Aug. 13. GROSS: And he's not just a Broadway producer. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So you're ready to give up on us because of what a leprechaun said? GROSS: You're nominated for an Emmy, second year in a row. With a Broadway producer uncle in her own family, Strong was heavily exposed to the musical scene, making it an early love in her life. She's now starring in the new series "Schmigadoon! It's such a contrast for me seeing the joy in "Schmigadoon!" We'll be right back after a short break. It went to dress and not to air. I know from your new memoir that when "Saturday Night Live" did some episodes with everybody at home, that you were - you didn't want to participate at first, and you didn't do one or two of the shows because you just didn't feel ready to perform, I mean, because you really were in a serious state of depression and anxiety. So if he wants my puddin', he'll have to marry me. And it's like, you don't know what corn puddin' is? And my roommates - my COVID roommates, Matt (ph) and Kevin - were helping me shoot everything. And I think my uncle probably didn't want me to be an actor as much as I did, just knowing that it was a tough life. Cecily Strong is saying goodbye to Saturday Night Live. GROSS: To her participation. I can hear you. But I certainly - I remember getting to go backstage after "Secret Garden." And I will put on music I really like and get myself warm and fall asleep and not have to wake up. GROSS: My interview with Cecily Strong was recorded in August. And I'm - that's according to doctors, Michael Che. And it is - it still feels a bit like controlled chaos, on "Update" especially, where it feels kind of fresh, and we're not exactly sure what's going to happen. So I think that led to my love of these 1920s songs, you know, the Tin Pan Alley stuff. And so I want to play that scene 'cause it'll give a sense of how people just kind of break out into song around you and how you sometimes just chime right in. It's like, why are we learning this? STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) And it may be a waste. Strong also has a new memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon." (SOUNDBITE OF DON BYRON'S "SHAKE 'EM UP"). Again, my family, everyone I know - huge fans. She's always got a very gravely serious affectation. And, you know, I wouldn't say my wife hates musicals. One is the bad boy, you know, which is the Billy Bigelow character. And so that's really - that's when my love affair with musicals began. Frank DiLella talks to "Saturday Night Live" star Cecily Strong about making her New York City theater debut in the revival of the one-woman Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner play "The Search For Signs of . But they both soon realize they're trapped in Schmigadoon, where life is a musical. GROSS: Some musicals have really corny scenes in them, and the kind of scene that always bores me is the picnic scene where it's like, this was a real nice clambake. If you're like me, you've never watched the show, and you didn't know her name until now. . Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress and comedienne who is currently a cast member of Saturday Night Live, starting in September 2012, for the start of season 38. You know, I really wanted them - like, oh, that could genuinely have been a song sung in an undiscovered Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Then he says something mean to get her back. In a 2021 interview with Terry Gross on the National Public Radio program Fresh Air, Strong said that because her uncle is a Broadway producer, as a child she often got to attend Broadway shows and sometimes go back stage to meet their casts.She then attended a private Catholic school until transferring for her senior year to the Chicago Academy for the Arts, where she graduated in 2002. I wonder if - is square dancing still taught in some schools? SNL cast member Cecily Strong's recent The View interview has got fans wondering about her dating life. He co-created, co-wrote and wrote all the songs for the series "Schmigadoon!" Yeah, I got handcuffed and brought to a cop car and taken to the station. Like, he's just - when he's managing it, he is the most delightful, wonderful - my brother is, like, one of my favorite people in the world. And I think it's wrong to throw those kids out. No. He's a queer one, that man o' mine. I was licking a soft-serve ice-cream cone. STRONG: No, I would - it feels great because, this past year especially, I'm just - I'm so proud of the show and being a part of the show. STRONG: No. I only wish that nightly he were slightly more aggressive. You know, I was much more protected. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Corn puddin'. SNL's Cecily Strong stars in it as Melissa and is also a producer. And then I remembered, like, hearing my straight, male friends talk about interactions that they'd had, like, with some girl that seems normal, and then it's like, oh, she just said something crazy, and how do I get out of this conversation? she frequently saw Broadway performances and occasionally got to go backstage to meet their casts because her uncle is a Broadway producer in an interview with Terry Gross for the National . Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? A leprechaun has explained to the couple - in song - that they can't leave Schmigadoon until they find true love, which means the depth of their love is about to be tested. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Oh, she sure would like a taste. He's . UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Oh, she sure would like a taste. In the original, which debuted on Broadway in 1985, Tomlin leaps for two hours . STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Seriously, please? I guess I knew it as a job. Could be fun. If I think that he's laughing at something, I'll want to hit that harder. This Mueller report completely exonerated the president, and therefore everybody on the Trump train, woo, woo (ph). But what really cracked it for me was, oh, instead of two friends, it should be a couple. Let's start with "Schmigadoon!," which is filled with references to classic musicals, like "Oklahoma!," "Carousel," "The Music Man," "The Sound Of Music" and, of course, "Brigadoon." Cecily Strong, who was a child actress and then an improviser in Chicago before finding fame on "Saturday Night Live," is set to make her New York stage debut this winter. What is your critique of how the school and the police handled you? Let's get back to my interview with Cinco Paul. GROSS: OK, let me reintroduce you here, and then we'll talk some more. And you can't have love without having a lover's spat. And I think Hal Willner, our music producer, had passed away the night before or something. I think I took my first drama class when I was 3. Apple TV+ today released the trailer for its new musical comedy series "Schmigadoon!," executive produced by Lorne Michaels and starring Emmy Award nominee Cecily Strong and Emmy Award winner Keegan-Michael Key. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Come on, could be fun. GROSS: Cinco Paul wrote all the songs for the satirical musical series "Schmigadoon!" It was all just this crazy bad timing. And so that's partly why I just wasn't even there. STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) Judge Jeanine Pirro, and it's up to you to decide just what my whole deal is. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) My guy loves corn puddin'. It wasn't like I'm pulling out. KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I mean KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Look, this whole thing is insane. (Singing) Some men like to fight and curse. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I'm not saying anything, but apparently some cosmic verdict has been reached, and we failed. Please continue playing piano for us. HARADA: (As Florence, singing) Some men stumble home at dark, want dinner and dessert. Strong joined "SNL" as a featured player in 2012. And then it was just such a gift. So - but talk about writing this and what you wanted to do with it. was a lifetime in the making. You know, really, we talk about escapism, and I had real-life escapism where I flew into this beautiful, magical land of Vancouver, where there's, like, water and mountains and big trees. Did you get to go backstage? It was Gardner's first time, and her eyes widened as a pile of men in short shorts burst into a number . And she's vaccinated. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Guys, we're actually in the middle of something. GROSS: Cecily Strong, welcome to FRESH AIR. So I really was like, come on, everybody. Cecily Strong first joined SNL as a featured player in 2012. My Uncle Ed is a theater producer in New York, my dad and . It was only really one episode that I missed and I really wanted to be there. Strong also has a new book that will be published tomorrow called "This Will All Be Over Soon." STRONG: No, it actually - I think it was probably Bryan Tucker, who I write with, and I wound up writing a lot of my "Update" characters with them, or sort of those - anybody that's a real - you know, I write Marjorie Taylor Greene with him, and we did Sidney Powell together this year, too. I don't have enough gym credits to graduate on time. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. Meet Cecily Strong's Partner: The Actress' Secretive Love Life Details. 1 year ago. Cinco Paul serves as showrunner, and wrote all of the original music for the series. CINCO PAUL AND KEN DAURIO: (Singing) Make him watch it. And so I think, more than anything, it made me realize, like, that's what depression does to you. A leprechaun has explained to the couple - in song - that they can't leave Schmigadoon until they find true love, which means the depth of their love is about to be tested. STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) Can't do it, pal. I've been slightly hypoglycemic since I was a kid, so I have to make sure I eat in the morning and get my sugar. Sure, she's popped up in small cameos for shows like Angie Tribeca , Superstore, and Scream . - about a couple who find themselves trapped in a small town from the early 1900s where life is a musical. She doesn't know what that actually means, but she really wishes the best for him and loves him. STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) That's right. And she recommends the corn puddin'. And he was trying to help me find things. It's very beautiful there. See if you can recognize what inspired this song. GROSS: Yeah, yeah. It's streaming on Apple TV+. Cinco Paul has loved musicals from his early childhood, and the opportunity to make a . Let's start with "Schmigadoon!," which is filled with references to classic musicals, like "Oklahoma!," "Carousel," "The Music Man," "The Sound of Music" and, of course, "Brigadoon." Extra-dirty vodka Martinis - they're so easy to drink! Could be fun. Like, who cares? . Good. She was promoted to repertory player in season 39 in September 2013, along with her fellow castmates Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon, and left midway through season 48, following the December 17, 2022 . UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) In Schmigadoon. The "Saturday Night Live" mainstay (and two-time Emmy nominee) started drama classes when she was just 3 years old as a way of channeling her oddball energy . and "The Lorax.". And it was like, now we're seeing all of each other on Zoom at our first Zoom table read, and it was just so overwhelming. It's brought me such pleasure at a time when I think we all need some pleasure. Just like the idea, you know, that it's like, you can have so much passion and feelings about these things that you don't really understand and haven't given much thought to and using them to sort of put down other people. HARADA: (As Florence, singing) Show me any other man more tender or expressive. Strong is most notable for being a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Come on. This is FRESH AIR. And I guess there's also "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man Of Mine" (ph) - you know, these women who sing songs where, you know, he has maybe these flaws, but I still love him, you know? How does it feel? GROSS: There's times on Update when Colin Jost has been laughing, like, so hard because you're so funny. And I started, you know - I would - I had to tell my mom because there was a couple of nights - I shared a car with my brother at this time. This election is a misgrace (ph), OK? 'The Addams Family' star Barry Sonnenfeld is the director, and the actor, while Cecily Strong too serves as the producer. Luckily for us, but maybe - who knows? And, actually, I flew out of the chair the first time because, you know, I hadn't done much physical comedy on the show at all. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) That's fantastic. And you're being, you know, waited on by a - you know, a very lovely, very young (laughter) waitress. Seven of the comedy sketch show's cast members left the . ; Making an appearance at the Chicago Sketch Fest, Chicago Just for Laughs, New York Sketchfest, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Goodman Theater, Bailiwick Theater, Mercury Theater, and Virgin Daiquiri with an all-female improv troupe. And it was hard - you know, I had theater, thank God, and really was comfortable in that world. And that really changed everything because then suddenly that became my tribe, you know, the theater kids. We'll start with Cecily Strong. And so it's like, I knew I was kind of - it wouldn't last, this safety that I was feeling by being vaccinated. They just performed, you know? If you're an avid fan of Saturday Night Live, you already know Cecily Strong. I never wanted the songs to be too jokey, if that makes sense. and "The Lorax." To be a 10 or 11-year-old kid obsessed with that sort of music was very odd, but I just - I loved it from an early age. 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