A veteran of half a dozen Broadway musicals and counting, Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman ironically plays Josh Skinner, a doctor who doesn't like musicals.

Gateway musical: The Who's Tommy. "It combined two things I loved, which was rock and roll and theatre."

Dream role: [Sara and I] were just talking about how we would be great in Guys and Dolls together, and I think we should do it. I’ll be anyone in Guys and Dolls as long as Sara is there.

Carnival event he'd win: I have never won anything at any one of these events. However, I will shout out my brother, Jesse Brightman, who wins everything he ever does. At one carnival, he once won a cakewalk [...] twice in the same day, which is astronomically impossible. So I would choose the cakewalk because I am a fan of walking and not running.

Don't we all sometimes wish we could escape into a musical fantasy where everything works out and every song is magically in our range? Sara Chase's character, the theatre-obsessed OB-GYN Melissa Gimble, sure does.

Gateway musical: Meet Me in St. Louis. "There was a little girl in the show, Tootie, and I was like, 'Oh, I can do that.'"

Dream role: Adelaide in Guys and Dolls

Carnival event she'd win: I’d want to win a goldfish just to put it back.

Saturday Night Live alum Ana Gasteyer describes Mildred Layton as "the moral spine of Schmigadoon." Be sure to behave around her — she "holds you, and herself, to an enormously high standard."

Gateway musical: The first show I ever saw was Fiddler on the Roof with Zero Mostel on a national tour when I was a kid. And then I saw the all-Black cast of Guys and Dolls which was mind-blowing, also on a national tour. [...] Those first two experiences seared their way into my brain.

Dream role: Mame in Mame, Momma Rose in Gypsy, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd

Carnival event she'd win: I'm really bad at carnival games, to be honest. Aren't they designed to swindle you?

Reverend Layton is "not always able to be the best version of himself," said Maulik Pancholy. "Over the course of the show and the arrival of new residents in Schmigadoon, he goes through a little bit of a transformation."

Gateway musical: Oddly enough, when I was in sixth grade, I was cast as a townsperson in a high school production of — wait for it, wait for it — Brigadoon.

Dream role: I don't know! This is my Broadway musical debut — I've done Broadway plays before — so maybe this is the time to start thinking about if there's another one in the future...

Carnival event he'd win: High striker

"The mayor of Schmigadoon wants everyone to be happy and content and find peace and happiness," said Brad Oscar, who plays Mayor Menlove. Much like the Reverend, though, it takes him a while to find that for himself. All he wants is to live up to his name.

Gateway musical: Mame. "I got to see Angela Lansbury play Mame in the summer of 1972, I believe it was. I'm all of 8 years old at the time. Those were very formative years [...] I wore out my parents' LP."

Dream role: Albin in La Cage aux Folles

Carnival event he'd win: The one where you randomly pick up a duck and hope it says you won a prize. Don't make me have to throw.

Ann Harada reprises her TV role as Florence Menlove, the mayor's wife and seemingly the last to know about his, er, secrets. Having grown up a fan of theatre icons like Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, and Angela Lansbury, she's channeling their timeless spirit in Schmigadoon!

Gateway musical: Oklahoma!

Dream role: Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!

Carnival event she'd win: Duck shooting gallery

McKenzie Kurtz described her take on flirty, go-getting farmer's daughter Betsy as a little bit Ado Annie from Oklahoma!, a little bit Bernadette Peters, and a little bit Charlotte La Bouff from The Princess and the Frog.

Gateway musical: Wicked

Dream role: Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. "I did the junior version [of Guys and Dolls] when I was 8, but now that I'm an adult, I would like to do the normal version."

Carnival event she'd win: Skee-Ball

Town rapscallion Danny Bailey is inspired by Billy Bigelow from Carousel and Curly from Oklahoma!, but Max Clayton is also adding some Gene Kelly flair in his performance.

Gateway musical: Singin' in the Rain (the movie) and Gypsy (on stage)

Dream role: Don Lockwood in Singin' in the Rain, Curly in Oklahoma!

Carnival event he'd win: High striker

Ivan Hernandez's Doc, the gruff town doctor, has a dose of the leading men in The Sound of Music and South Pacific. That is to say, he learns love is life's best medicine.

Gateway musical: Sweeney Todd. "But actually, I was in the orchestra pit in my high school for Guys and Dolls. So that was the first show that I saw and was like, 'Oh, this is a lot of fun.'"

Dream role: Tony in West Side Story ("It's too late now"), Emile in South Pacific

Carnival event he'd win: Competitive eating

Schoolmarm Emma Tate is "a little bit of Marian the Librarian [from The Music Man], she's a little bit Anna from The King and I, and she's a whole lot of fun," said Isabelle McCalla. She encourages her students to sing and tap dance — how could she not be?

Gateway musical: Singin' in the Rain. "I watched it every day on my VHS tape at home when I was about 7 years old. I loved it. I wanted to be Debbie Reynolds so badly."

Dream role: Sally Bowles in Cabaret

Carnival event she'd win: Water gun race

Carson Tate is "a lovable boy who has a lisp and loves information and is funny and loves his sister [Emma]," said Ayaan Diop. We can vouch that the 9-year-old actor is just as sweet.

Gateway musical: MJ The Musical

Dream role: Little Michael in MJ The Musical

Carnival event he'd win: High striker

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