Schmigadoon! lives.

The beloved Apple TV+ series which was abruptly canceled after two seasons, is getting new life on stage, and we have an exclusive listen at one of three new songs added to the theatrical production. The show, which begins performances on Jan. 31 at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, will cover the events of the TV series’ first season.

The song, “The Picnic Basket Auction,” can be listened to above, and is in the vein of what creator Cinco Paul describes as, “The classic, ‘It’s a Real Nice Clambake’ song about the thing that’s about to happen,” referencing a number from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.

“This comes after the lovers’ spat, where Josh and Melissa break up and then Josh gets dressed and goes to a big picnic basket auction that night,” Paul tells Entertainment Weekly. “He goes there and is roped into attempting to bid on Betsy’s basket. It’s also sort of ‘June is Bustin’ Out All Over’ [Note; also from Carousel], the big broad announcement song that’s announcing everybody singing about the fact that there’s going to be a picnic basket auction very soon. In fact, as soon as the song’s over, it’ll start.”

The song was originally written for season 1 of the series, but it ended up having to be cut for time. Now, with the stage production, they get to restore it to its original place. “We reworked it a little bit, but basically, it was written for the first season,” Paul notes. “This was one of the tragic cuts and I decided I wanted to bring it back. It’s sort of crazy to be making something shorter than the series and then add songs, but I thought: I’ll cut out some dialogue and let’s make room for this.”

The show also gave Paul the opportunity to write a new song, and in doing so pay tribute to a pair of composers that he’d had to leave out of season 1. “I was really bummed in season 1 that I wasn’t able to do a nod to an Adler Ross musical,” he says. “They’re the guys who wrote Damn Yankees and Pajama Game, and I really love a lot of the songs in those shows. So, I was really happy that this was another chance to add another couple of composers to the group we’ve spoofed or parodied or done pastiche of. Whatever terminology you want to use.”

The song will take place at the end of the bake sale scene when Reverend Layton and Mayor Menlove flirt over desserts.

However, one thing we won’t see is a dream ballet. “We had designed one for season 1 and opted not to do it, so it certainly came up,” Paul says. “We just don’t have time for a dream ballet. That’s fast-forward time, so you’re welcome.”

Paul says that though it was tempting to make the stage show span both seasons, there simply was no way to make two three-hour long seasons fit into a single theatrical production. Additionally, while choreographer Christopher Gattelli is directing the show and Ann Harada is reprising her role as Florence Menlove, the rest of the cast is completely new.

Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice: The Musical, School of Rock) will take over for Keegan-Michael Key as Josh, while Sara Chase (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) takes on Cecily Strong’s role as Melissa. Additional cast includes: Kevin Del Aguila, McKenzie Kurtz, Isabelle McCalla, Javier Muñoz, Brad Oscar, and Emily Skinner.

For Paul, this has been an opportunity to see his work in a new light. “People are different performers,” he reflects. “It has been stunning to me how in so many ways they have very similar skill sets. All the things that Keegan and Cecily are really good at their counterparts are as well. But I’ve been blown away by them. And seeing them work together has caused me to dive back into the script and make some changes based on what they bring to the characters and their performances.”

Paul also teases that the stage show will delve more fully into the story of Danny Bailey (played by Aaron Tveit on screen and Ryan Vasquez here), continuing to draw heavily on the story of Billy Bigelow in Carousel. “In season 1, we had to cut Danny Bailey’s story short, so I took this opportunity to tell his complete story in the stage version,” Paul explains.

While this is a limited run for the production (it goes through Feb. 9), Paul hopes that it’s just the beginning of a new life for Schmigadoon!. He’s eager to see it go to Broadway and beyond. “All I’lll say is I want Schmigadoon! to conquer the world, and I won’t rest until every single person on the planet has seen our show, so make of that what you will.”

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But what about season 3, which was supposed to move forward into the mega-musicals of the ’80s and ’90s? It was fully written, including songs, before AppleTV+ pulled the plug. Could we get a stage production or even a concert presentation?

“There have been some talks about it,” says Paul. “Most of the movement is inside my heart, but I’m not giving up. I’m really proud of the work that all of us in the writers’ room did, and I think the fans would really love it. Take heart in the fact that I have not given up and there are other people that are fans of the show who would also love to see that happen. You just never know; life is long.”