STRONG: Well, I actually will say the police had a program that I was really lucky to have. It was all just this crazy bad timing. No. So I've gotten to see a lot of his shows in New York. GROSS: That makes no sense at all (laughter). You know, and then it took a while to really understand - here's all of the things we're going to put in place. The women are wearing long, colorful prairie dresses with big petticoats. JOST: (As himself) You don't have to shout, you know. I loved that movie so much, and the songs in that are so good. I mean, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, I thought people in movies and on Broadway were, like, from another planet. (Singing) Some men like to fight and curse. She's taken all these concepts and just turned them into something confusing and wrong that she's very passionate about. I think you have a shout-out to that. And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. And I think you're probably not wrong. So you must have had this idea early on that being in shows was something real people did. (As characters, singing) Then she complains that he don't understand her. In "South Pacific," there's a younger woman who ends up falling in love with an older man. STRONG: I did - and I mean, not always. MICHAEL CHE: (As himself) With the election only two weeks away, both candidates are trying to get a final message out there to their supporters. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. GROSS: Why don't we hear "Corn Puddin'"? Like, who cares? You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong, a star of the series "Schmigadoon!," which is a loving satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s that's streaming on Apple TV+. ", a loving satire of classic musicals from the 1940s and early '50s, like "Oklahoma! STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) And it may be a waste. Is that an idea that you originated? GROSS: All right. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) First, she said something bad to get his gander. So that's when I joined SAG. During her youth, she often attended Broadway shows, thanks to her uncle's career as a . It's on or near the Hudson River. I mean, to me, there is a trope in these musicals often. Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images. What is your critique of how the school and the police handled you? UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, singing) You can't plow a field without hitting some stone. I think, you know, we were told - we went on our hiatus that was supposed to be our three-week or two-week hiatus in March and then just didn't come back until May. So - but talk about writing this and what you wanted to do with it. GROSS: That was another scene from "Schmigadoon!," which stars my guest, Cecily Strong, and Keegan-Michael Key. GROSS: That's pretty great. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. She's taken all these concepts and just turned them into something confusing and wrong that she's very passionate about. And we wrote a sketch, actually, that didn't make it onto the show. Starring Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Ariana DeBose, Fred Armisen, Jaime Camil and Jane Krakowski. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. The same year, she starred in, and was a producer for, Schmigadoon!, a musical parody series on Apple TV+. And I had that above my bed until we - I moved out - I think, till I went to college. This is FRESH AIR. - because, you know, every kid wants to go to California. CHE: (As himself) So I assume you're not happy with the election. Her characters have included Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Melania Trump and the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. PAUL: I mean, it probably came from my love of the Marx Brothers, you know. You're nominated for an Emmy for your work on "SNL," and so are some of the other cast members. ; 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. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, singing) You can't plow a field without hitting some stone. And it's like, you don't know what corn puddin' is? PAUL: I grew up in Phoenix, Ariz., so I didn't see a lot of shows live, but my mom really loved musicals, and she had cast recordings for - I specifically remember "Camelot" - you know, loving as a pretty young kid and listening to that. 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. (As characters, singing) And then he gives her a snack. You know, my grandmother would buy me musicals on VHS. But she kept going, what? It turns out that her own uncle is a producer on Broadway, and that meant she had a lot of access to the stage when she was a child. Strong, who joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 2012, received several accolades for her impersonations of Melania Trump, Fox News host, Judge Jeanine Pirro, and many others. I got the recipe. That's just so funny. PAUL: Yeah, it's called "Make Him Watch It," and we make each other watch a movie we've never seen before. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party) Please do not man-terrupt (ph) me when I'm wo-making (ph) a point, Michael. And she just told me she's got COVID. STRONG: That's usually just Colin and I. You know, I really wanted them - like, oh, that could genuinely have been a song sung in an undiscovered Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. And I think a lot of that, you can feel it when you watch the show. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"). And so that's really - that's when my love affair with musicals began. In her second season, she co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers and then Colin Jost. "You know how much I hate musicals. ., directed by Leigh Silverman (Lifespan of a Fact, Violet), explores American society, art, power, and the feminist movement through a series of characters. And I'd go, well, tonight I'm going to either - I'll just keep driving. I need to get - I have to practice this fall. GROSS: Oh, you wrote the song? Outside of SNL, Cecily Strong hasn't really established an especially large presence in Hollywood. Her birth name is Cecily Legler Strong. GROSS: Cecily Strong, welcome to FRESH AIR. And, you know, I desperately wanted to be on stage, but probably because I didn't really belong there, they kept saying, no, but, Cinco, we need you on the piano. - where she sort of wishes he could be who he really is. GROSS: Then you have a couple episodes where you share your opinions of films of the '80s and films of the '90s. (SOUNDBITE OF GWENDOLYN DEASE'S "PORKCHOP'S BLUES"), GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Lily Tomlin, the original star and Tony Award winner of 'The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, poses with the star of the L.A. production, Cecily . But also, really, in many ways, the mayor's story is at the heart of the show 'cause he is one of these characters that, back in the day, could only be queer coded, you know, and - but because we have modern characters in "Schmigadoon!" We have to show our IUD. For "Broadway in the Berkshires," producer and actor Deborah Grausman brought together director Robin Levine, music director Laura Bergquist, writer/comedian Jason Salmon, and production stage manager Kat West. I think that's why, for 25 years, nothing happened with it because it was - it needed that addition to really crack it. The Search . I feel like my bubble just burst recently. Farmer McDonough craved a son. Make him watch it. I met Daisy Eagen. And we both enjoy malapropisms, I think, as much as each other, so it's a lot of that. 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. The series is streaming on Apple TV+. It's very beautiful there. JOST: (As himself) That's great. 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. Strong stars in the new Apple TV+ satire about a couple who get lost in the woods and end up trapped in a town where life is a musical and the townspeople frequently burst into song. Cecily Strong's character loves musicals and is initially charmed. And then kind of like, well, I don't know that we'll ever get to do that again. You know, she's always got a very gravely serious affectation. Cecily Strong. This is FRESH AIR. The women are wearing long, colorful prairie dresses with big petticoats. And it's only recently that are - there are actually musicals about gay people who are out of the closet. This Mueller report completely exonerated the president, and therefore everybody on the Trump train, woo, woo (ph). She grew up visiting him backstage . But also, I remember singing "Singin' In The Rain" for the first time as a kid and Donald O'Connor doing "Make 'Em Laugh," and I thought that was the greatest thing I'd ever seen in my life. It just felt like, I've fallen through the cracks. I love the show so much. We were in his office, and he was like, have you seen this lady? It's brought me such pleasure at a time when I think we all need some pleasure. PAUL: He was not a fan. So I dropped out. A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousinand embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught heramid the coronavirus pandemic. You put the bowl in your belly 'cause it's good for the soul. MICHAEL CHE: (As himself) With the election only two weeks away, both candidates are trying to get a final message out there to their supporters. 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. That's where everything's OK. In addition to starring, Cecily Strong serves as producer, and Ken Daurio serves as consulting producer and writer. Oh, he'll have to marry me. I got the recipe. We'll be right back after a short break. See if you can recognize what inspired this song. STRONG: It's actually - I mean, it's funny timing. STRONG: Oh, totally. (SOUNDBITE OF THELONIOUS MONK'S "LITTLE ROOTIE TOOTIE"), GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. 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. But if you've got some extry (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. CINCO PAUL AND KEN DAURIO: (Singing) Make him watch it. And we are able to do musicals in a time when Broadway is shuttered, and that's so depressing to walk next to. GROSS: Well, I hope your mom, like, recovers really soon. The men are dressed like they're in old-fashioned barbershop quartets. And I think a lot of that, you can feel it when you watch the show, and I think that's probably why I enjoy rewatching it so much is just taking myself back there. She also stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!," which is a very smart, funny and loving satire of musicals from the '40s and '50s. STRONG: You know, luckily, I have producers there and and Lorne, too, and I feel very taken care of by the show. That was my parents' question. The first two episodes will premiere globally on Friday, July 16, 2021 exclusively on Apple TV+, followed by one new episode . The couple is totally disoriented and dumbstruck when the townspeople break into song. You want to try with other people? now and Cecily's character really likes to get involved in people's lives, she helps push him to, you know, proclaim to the whole town who he really is. And then in making fun of myself, we sort of just kept playing with that, and that led into the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. 4. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. And I just - I did theater. GROSS: Cecily Strong stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!" And they've asked me to leave. Cecily Strong is good at women. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) Never had corn puddin'. And then they kind of looked - they made, like, a show of it and looked in every pocket but that pocket and then said, OK, you're good to go. And so it feels like breakthrough infections are going to be a part of all of our lives soon, too. And, like, I'll never understand why they took joy in that because it was such a huge and awful moment in my life. Website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for cecily strong uncle broadway producer information when the townspeople break song... 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