Maulik Pancholy on Joy, Love & Finding His Broadway Musical Voice in SCHMIGADOON!

For much of his career, audiences have known Maulik Pancholy through his memorable television performances. Whether playing Jonathan on 30 Rock, Sanjay on Weeds, or lending his voice to beloved animated characters, Pancholy has spent years building a career defined by impeccable comedic timing and emotional authenticity. Now, he’s bringing those same skills to Broadway in Schmigadoon!, the Tony Award-nominated musical adaptation of the beloved Apple TV+ series currently delighting audiences at the Nederlander Theatre.

While Pancholy is certainly no stranger to the stage, Schmigadoon! marks one of the most significant musical theater projects of his career. Yet when the opportunity arrived, saying yes was surprisingly easy. “I think I was like the last person cast in it,” Pancholy recalls. “I knew the TV series, which I really loved. I knew that the musical had a really successful and lauded out-of-town run.”

The other cast members and creative team only made the decision easier. “I was super excited to get to play Ana Gasteyer’s husband. And everybody in our cast is like a Broadway superstar,” he says. “And then Chris Gattelli, I’m just like such a big fan of his.”

Ultimately, joining Schmigadoon! felt inevitable. “It kind of felt like a no-brainer,” Pancholy admits. “I thought ‘Oh my gosh, of course, yes. Yeah, I want to step into this magical world.’”

“I knew that it was so joyful, actually,” Pancholy says of the beloved Apple TV+ series. “And I thought, ‘How nice to be able to do that, especially at this moment where we are in the world, to be a part of something that is so, so joyful.’”

Yet beneath the laughs, spectacle, and musical theater references, Pancholy believes Schmigadoon! is grounded in something even more powerful. Discussing his portrayal of Rev. Howard Layton reveals an early conversation with creator Cinco Paul that fundamentally shaped his performance.

“Something that I talked about with Cinco early on was between the Reverend and Mildred, they’re sort of two opposite ends of what the church, spirituality, and religion can be,” he explains. For Pancholy, Howard ultimately represents compassion in that equation. “One of the things that I’m working on with this character is sort of the pure, unadulterated love and kindness that spirituality can have for people.”

That idea became central to how he approaches the role night after night. “I’m very conscious of the number of times the word love is said in this musical,” he says. “It is just a show that is really built on a foundation of love.”

Of course, stepping into a Broadway musical came with its own challenges. “It’s certainly intimidating,” Pancholy says with a laugh. And part of that intimidation stemmed from sharing the stage with some of Broadway’s most celebrated performers. “To know that I was going to be singing a duet with Broadway’s Brad Oscar, who has just this voice, you know, certainly felt a little overwhelming.”

He quickly adds, “I would say the excitement overrode the intimidation factor!”

In many ways, the experience has allowed him to reconnect with the theater kid who first fell in love with musicals years ago. “My first introduction to theater was through musical theater,” he remembers. He recounts seeing tours of LES MISÉRABLES and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA as a young fan.

Now, he’s getting to live out another dream: appearing on an original Broadway cast recording. “I don’t even really know how to describe how it feels because it just feels really magical,” Pancholy states. “It feels really, really, really, really special.”

The production also gives Pancholy the unique challenge of tackling characters originally portrayed by comedy legends Fred Armisen and Martin Short. “I’m huge fans of both Fred and Marty,” he says. But rather than attempting direct imitation, Pancholy approached both roles from scratch. “It was really reapproaching both characters and just doing the same work that I, as an actor, do on pretty much anything.”

Yet, that also meant asking fundamental questions. “Who is this person in this world? What do they want? What are they striving for? And how do they go about getting it?” The result is a portrayal that feels distinctly his own while remaining true to the spirit of Schmigadoon!.

That same philosophy extends to the show’s unique balancing act between parody and sincerity. “Chris Gattelli told us at some point that these people are living in Schmigadoon,” Pancholy explains. “We’re not making fun of ourselves. This is just our world.”

Because of that, he says, the comedy emerges naturally. “It never, to me anyway, feels like we’re making fun of Golden Age musicals. It feels like when, if, and often they do, the audience is laughing, it’s because of their recognition of what the moment is rather than because we’re poking fun at it.”

One of the most moving aspects of Pancholy’s performance comes through Rev. Howard Layton’s journey toward embracing his queerness. While much of the audience response is understandably laughter, Pancholy sees something deeper happening in those moments.

For Howard, coming out becomes a gradual process of self-discovery. “There are little moments of discovery,” he says. “These little steps that he takes where it finally comes to, you know what, I have to just say this thing.”

Importantly, that emotional breakthrough resonates personally with the actor. “As a gay person who has dealt with the coming out journey and when you hit that point where you’re like, ‘You know what, whatever the risk is, I’m going to take it because being on the other side of it is going to be so much better.’ That feels really real to me.”

Then the thunderous and appreciative response from audiences has been especially meaningful. “I think it’s a liberating moment for the character,” he points out.

Looking beyond Howard’s individual journey, Pancholy believes Schmigadoon! ultimately asks larger questions about connection, acceptance, and what it means to love one another. “I think almost every character in this play is actually on this quest for love,” he posits. “I think people are often feeling very isolated and unsure, and there’s a lot of things to be upset about. But here’s a moment where you get to come for 2.5 hours into this theater and really find community, laughter, and love.”

Importantly, Pancholy doesn’t see the musical as pure escapism. “I actually feel like Schmigadoon! offers a roadmap for possibility, actually,” he says.

That sense of possibility is also reflected in the show’s strong Tony Awards showing this season, something Pancholy is clearly thrilled about. “It’s really exciting,” he says of the multitude of nominations. And he credits the entire company for helping bring the musical to life on an incredibly compressed timeline. “Everybody brought 100% of their hearts, souls, talents, and their time and energy to getting this show up.”

Seeing that work recognized has been deeply rewarding. “It’s so nice when that resonates and people are like, ‘We wanna honor that.’” Furthermore, the recognition also means something else. “Knowing that that will also get eyes on the show is really, really special.”

And for Pancholy personally, this year’s ceremony will include a milestone moment. “It’ll be my first time performing at the Tony Awards,” he says. “That feels really cool.”

As for what Pancholy hopes audiences carry with them after leaving Schmigadoon!? His answer comes quickly and without hesitation. “For me, it just keeps coming back to love.”

He pauses before adding the simplest and perhaps most important message of all. “I hope people walk out just wanting to just be that much more loving to each other, to the world at large, and to spread the love.”