A TV series that I really enjoyed this year is "Schmigadoon!," a smart, funny and loving satire of musicals from the '40s and '50s. Talking about her love interest, Cecily Strong's Partner is Jack. And so I think they thought that might be a good outlet for me. And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. And, you know, she talks about, like, other men are really harsh and - but he's gentle, you know, like a lacy valentine. That was so weird. GROSS: Well, I hope your mom, like, recovers really soon. Cecily Strong is a 38-year-old American actress and comedian who has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live since 2012. STRONG: Well, it was sort of a mix of, like, I'm making fun of myself, and then I'm thinking about people I'd seen on Facebook. STRONG: It's actually - I mean, it's funny timing. But if you've got some extree (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Then what are you saying? And we just thought it was so funny, and it was a fun way to play her. 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." Pick a womanany woman!and she can probably make the character really sing. So - but I definitely feel more anxious again. (As characters, singing) Then he says something mean to get her back. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character, singing) You can't eat a fish without getting some bones. Here's all the safety measures - until I finally felt safe. We all know that so many performers on Broadway historically have been gay, and it's only in recent years that they've been able to be out. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I didn't say that. So I think that led to my love of these 1920s songs, you know, the Tin Pan Alley stuff. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Keegan-Michael Key's character hates musicals and is desperate to leave. But she kept going, what? So I've gotten to see a lot of his shows in New York. And immediately he's concerned about the age difference, especially because the actresses, you know, who play these roles were never actually teenagers. JOST: That's great. If you're like me, you've never watched the show, and you didn't know her name until now. GROSS: Cecily Strong, welcome to FRESH AIR. But of course, like, everything's bad timing over the past couple of years or whatever. No. I sure would like a taste. Strong, 35, has been on SNL since 2012, joining alongside current . Other men have eyes that spark at every passing skirt. And whatever you decide to do about "Saturday Night Live," I wish you well. Mere hours before the December 17 show, it was revealed that the 38-year-old comedian would be making her final appearance on the late-night . And I think Hal Willner, our music producer, had passed away the night before or something. is initially really charmed by the idea that they're, like, living in a world of a musical. Strong will also serve as a producer. It's like, can we skip that (laughter)? He's . and also a terrific revival of "How To Succeed In Business," a Sondheim tribute. Oh, he'll have to marry me. The women are wearing long, colorful prairie dresses with big petticoats. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR. He's so different from other men. (Carolyn Van Houten / Chicago Tribune) . And that's what I'd always rent whenever we'd go to the movie store. GROSS: Because she has gaydar and no one in the town does (laughter). Do you feel like you're competing with other people who are nominated? Or I'll go to my garage. I've always loved musicals. STRONG: Yeah, exactly. People don't just burst into song in real life," complains Josh ( Keegan-Michael Key) to girlfriend Melissa ( Cecily Strong) early in the new . And actually, my dad took a bunch of pictures. Do you remember it? And we were making the sets and making our props and hair and makeup, so it was really - we had a fun little make believe studio here. SNL's Cecily Strong stars in it as Melissa and is also a producer. Cecily Strong at Chicago's UP Comedy Club as a part of TBS's Just For Laughs Festival in 2013. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn puddin'. And then it ends in a very - you know, Ann does an amazing job with the song, and it ends in a really sweet spot - right? But if you've got some extry (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. GROSS: And so is that one of the things you wanted to play with - also the idea that, like, love can totally transform a person into - you know, a kind of stern, rigid person into a much more loving, lovely person? And I wound up never stopping. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Luckily for us, but maybe - who knows for the greater world - someone else can judge luckily or not, but she became more popular and more of a household name. It was all just this crazy bad timing. CHE: (As himself) So I assume you're not happy with the election. So it wasn't, like, a big shock or anything I thought would - you know, that it was something she couldn't deal with. 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. She has a new memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon." What - my parents put me in one, I should say. You just really got her down (laughter). UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) It's just a lover's spat. And I think she's doing well. ", a satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. And you had a boyfriend who got a bad case of COVID, but fortunately not bad enough to end up in the hospital, and he recovered. You know, I wasn't a super popular kid. And then kind of like, well, I don't know that we'll ever get to do that again. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I'm not singing, and you're not singing. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Amy Salit, Phyllis Myers, Roberta Shorrock, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, Heidi Saman, Therese Madden, Ann Marie Baldonado, Seth Kelley and Kayla Lattimore. Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? The townspeople are singing and dancing as if they're in an old musical. And she stars in the new series "Schmigadoon! When I went to - they called me down to security to say they'd found my bag. And so I think they thought that might be a good outlet for me. Did you see music theatre? And that's according to doctors, Michael Che. Also, Keegan has, you know, this young farm girl pursuing him, played by Dove Cameron. Cecily Strong has 29 acting credits on her IMDb profile, along with her first producer credit for Schmigadoon!, a musical comedy television show that premiered on Apple TV+ in 2021. . Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images. Cecily Strong On 'SNL,' 'Schmigadoon!' . STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) That's right. She's now starring in the new series "Schmigadoon! which he also co-created and co-wrote. And I was just part of a wave of kids who were expelled. GROSS: Yeah. GROSS: All right. Cecily Strong's New Book. 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 - it was gorgeous - and then to be on those sets that were also gorgeous, and then to be with this amazing group of people. GROSS: OK, let me reintroduce you here, and then we'll talk some more. This is FRESH AIR. They just performed, you know? Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress and comedian who has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live since 2012, making her the longest-tenured female cast member in the show's history. I feel like my bubble just burst recently. And I think, you know, getting that job is how I got into the union. That was weird. And we'll also hear the Cecily Strong character kind of join in in a verse, much to the Keegan-Michael Key character's annoyance. Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984)[2][3] is an American actress and comedian who has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live . During her youth, she often attended Broadway shows, thanks to her uncle's career as a Broadway producer, and she sometimes got to meet the casts. This Mueller report completely exonerated the president, and therefore everybody on the Trump train, woo, woo (ph). SNL cast member Cecily Strong's recent The View interview has got fans wondering about her dating life. The couple, Josh and Melissa, are played by Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong. You have to do people that everybody knows. 1 year ago. In case you are wondering about his identity, Jack is an international traveler. It's not like I drove myself. And then, then, we found the art school. And "Corn Puddin'" suddenly came to me as just a - it's kind of the perfect representation of these sort of songs like the - it's "A Real Nice Clambake." So I don't know what you do with that. Disha Kandpal. 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. We started with the opening song from "Schmigadoon!" Yeah. It's very beautiful there. GROSS: One of the things in some musicals is - the love affairs in some musicals, I think, would be considered pretty age-inappropriate now, like, for example, "The Sound Of Music," where, like, she's a young nun who's just left the convent. And you know, there is still an element of, like, you're playing with your friends. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) No. And I had that above my bed until we - I moved out - I think, till I went to college. Did you get to go backstage? STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Come on. 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. But I remember, you know, "Camelot" and "South Pacific" and "Guys And Dolls" and hearing those a lot. Several familiar faces were gone, and many fans were left asking where was Cecily Strong. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Oh, she sure would like a taste. What did you do to try to capture her voice? It's streaming on Apple TV+. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #7: (As character, singing) Who wants corn puddin'? OK, can you just please tell us about the candidates? I am eating ice cream, and the voiceover says, like, well, McDonald's now has ice - soft-serve for 37 cents or whatever it was. And whenever a musical theater song would somehow pop up in my mix, he would say, skip. I wish your mother well. And so that's really - that's when my love affair with musicals began. It's about her life during the first year of the pandemic, when she felt overcome by anxiety and depression. And is it hard for you to keep a straight face when he's having trouble keeping a straight face? GROSS: Reports are that you're not sure whether you're going back to "SNL" in the fall. And there was no lines; it was all facial expressions. Cecily Strong is saying goodbye to Saturday Night Live. GROSS: Well, let's take a short break here, and then we'll talk some more. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Yum. STRONG: I haven't. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"). I mean, to me, there is a trope in these musicals often. What is your critique of how the school and the police handled you? He's become a little more of a fan. So you must have had this idea early on that being in shows was something real people did. And it's been great to talk with you. 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. Apple TV+ is close to putting in a series order for the project. The series is streaming on Apple TV+. I was so, like, mad that no one was letting me have my rehearsal - 'cause "Update," you only get to rehearse on Saturday, really. I am just trying to figure out how to get out of here and get back to reality. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Unless she's a superwoman, you won't be seeing Cecily Strong on "Saturday Night Live" tonight. And I wound up never stopping. 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. And suddenly, I used it just to make movies with all the neighborhood kids. During this final week of the year, we're featuring a few of the many interviews from 2021 that we enjoyed. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I didn't say that. Cecily Strong (actress) social media, news and video. And I would be driving home. But apparently, according to the leprechaun, this isn't true love. This past summer, Strong published a memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon." I want you to talk about writing this because this is an example of a song that I don't think closely adheres to another song. GROSS: Like, among the shows he did was terrific revivals of "Music Man," which is, of course, referenced (laughter) in "Schmigadoon!" Our schoolmarm is Emma Tate. The series is streaming on Apple TV+. GROSS: Like, among the shows he did was terrific revivals of "Music Man," which is, of course, referenced (laughter) in "Schmigadoon!" It's still - and I think, like, even though that seems crazy to say in the middle of summer, I think it's been a wild couple of years, and so I'm just - I'm OK with not knowing. I was a weird kid, you know, singing "I Wonder What The King Is Doing Tonight" in my room, memorizing the lyrics. overall No. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (Singing, as characters) My guys loves corn puddin'. I'm not going to do the show. And there's a bunch of kids who weren't as lucky as I was. STRONG: (As Melissa) This was literally me in high school. 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 that's what I'd always rent whenever we'd go to the movie store. 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