Schmigadoon!
“McKenzie Kurtz, center, as a flirtatious farmer’s daughter, gives a comic performance for the ages in “Schmigadoon!” at the Nederlander Theater in Manhattan.
As Betsy McDonough, a flirtatious farmer’s daughter clearly inspired by Ado Annie from “Oklahoma!,” McKenzie Kurtz (already a standout in “The Heart of Rock and Roll” two seasons ago) gives us a comic creation for the ages, pursuing Josh with a maniacal laugh and a huge smile that freezes her face in a Looney Tunes version of “The Scream.” “
Schmigadoon!
“The relentlessly chipper farmer’s daughter Betsy McDonough is a star-making showcase for McKenzie Kurtz, whose performance as the boy-crazy country bumpkin feels like an instant awards contender. From her impeccable comic timing to small, delightful choices (a perfectly executed cross-eyed gag among them), she commands attention every time she steps on stage.”
Patrick Gomez April 20, 2026
Schmigadoon!
“On the stagier side, McKenzie Kurtz goes for absolute broke as Betsy McDonough, the farmer’s-daughter ingenue of murky age.”
Schmigadoon!
“McKenzie Kurtz, an emerging Broadway jewel, gives a masterclass in musical comedy as Betsy, the town’s Ado Annie-coded waitress who sings one of the score’s new additions “Not That Kinda Gal.” “
The Heathers
“Thankfully, there’s McKenzie Kurtz, who applies a wide-eyed fury to her queen bee, Heather Chandler, and turns her atavistically scary, a crimson priestess to the goddess of being blonde.”
The Heathers
“But the most memorable aspect of this revival is McKenzie Kurtz’s commanding performance as Heather Chandler. Born to rule, she captivates Westerberg with her majesty, as all queens must. She can sing the house down, but her true voice really comes through after her death, when she reappears as Veronica’s unlikely conscience.”
The Heathers
“McKenzie Kurtz slays as Heather Chandler, bringing a sparkling, irresistible nastiness.”
The Heathers
“McKenzie Kurtz is to die for in Heathers: The Musical… Kurtz is a stunner. Heather Chandler is the iconic mean girl, so much so that her malicious lines still ring across pop culture 36 years after she first spit them. Kurtz manages not to be thrown by this role, but to sink her teeth in so hard the stage practically bleeds. She struts and insults without mercy, brandishing bewitching brutality with the enviable swagger of onscreen divas like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. It’s delicious to watch a bitch be this bad. And it’s refreshing to see a musical be this ballsy (again?).”
The Heart of Rock and Roll
“Kurtz makes for a caffeinated version of Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl” — quirky, optimistic and appealingly awkward!”
The New York Post
The Heart of Rock and Roll
“Cassandra is the hilarious McKenzie Kurtz.”
Times Square Chronicles
T2Conline.com >
Schmigadoon!
“5 BRILLIANT BROADWAY PERFORMANCES OF 2026”
“She’s done it again! After throwing down last summer as Heather Chandler in Heathers: The Musical, McKenzie Kurtz continues to show off her comedic chops, this time playing Betsy in Schmigadoon! As the flirty farmer’s daughter obsessed with making a love connection, Kurtz contorts both her face and voice to hilarious effect, stealing scenes and hearts (if not poor Josh Skinner’s) every time she steps on the Nederlander Theatre stage. As Schmigadoon’s secret weapon, she could even get us to start eating corn puddin’… which is the highest praise we can possibly lavish.”
Schmigadoon!
“…the Ado Annie-esque Betsy (the hilariously committed McKenzie Kurtz, making a comedic meal of her part), a flirty farmer’s daughter of indeterminable age. “
Schmigadoon!
Meanwhile, the town flirt (played with hilarious abandon by McKenzie Kurtz) pursues Josh with a new solo about how “she’s not that kind of gal” despite her eagerness to smooch virtual strangers in a sequence that evokes both Ado Annie from Oklahoma! and all those women with shotgun-wielding fathers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
CultureSauce.com >
Date: April 20, 2026
Author: Thom Geier
The Heathers
“McKenzie Kurtz is a deliciously brutal bully as “lead” Heather Chandler.”
The Heathers
“Costumed and lit in flaming red, Heather Chandler is the boss of the other two and McKenzie Kurtz has a great time in the role, showing off her fine voice and sharp comic timing while dressing down her curious yellow and envious green cohorts.”
The Heathers
“McKenzie Kurtz is a comedy monster—and excels in the “Chandler” role, with side-eye and rictus-smiled threat her preferred modes of communication.”
The Heathers
“McKenzie Kurtz as Heather Chandler is evil personified. She is mean, vain, and without a conscience. Kurtz plays her in a funny and cold-blooded manner that will have you a amused and immersed.”
The Heart of Rock and Roll
“McKenzie Kurtz proves why commitment is comedy gold as Cassandra, the boss’s jumpy, type-A daughter and Bobby’s potential sweetheart.”
The Washington Post
The Heart of Rock and Roll
“Cassandra (McKenzie Kurtz) bringing excellent vocal and comedic chops.”
New York Theatre Guide
Schmigadoon!
“Still, the standout is a performer in a minor role: McKenzie Kurtz, who was the thrilling wild card in the otherwise disappointing recent revival of “Heathers,” in which she found wiggly layers in the bitch queen Heather Chandler. As the Ado Annie-like Betsy, a horny teen-ager whose father owns a shotgun, Kurtz is playing a character who should be, and kind of is, a onejoke punch line. She pulls off her big song, “Not That Kind of Gal,” gloriously, channelling the mid-century musical’s warped blend of libido and innocence. But it’s Kurtz’s physical performance, especially her gleaming rictus of a grin—jaw dropped nearly to her collarbone, eyes popped as wide as sunflowers—that becomes a symbol of the show’s wholesome appeal, which is all about being a little bit extry. In the safe space that is “Schmigadoon!,” there’s no such thing as cringe.”
The New Yorker
Emily Nussbaum April 30, 2026
Schmigadoon!
“One highlight is Betsy (McKenzie Kurtz)—a waitress of an indeterminate age, who drags each syllable in every word out longer than I thought possible, who “tee hees” and skips around stage, who makes the audience cackle with every line. Every time she spoke, I heard uncontrollable laughter and quiet remarks of “she is hilarious” from all around me. She is unbelievably funny, with impeccably precise timing, and comically wonderful facial expressions.”
The Front Row Center >
April 26, 2026
By Nicole Itkin
Schmigadoon!
“…comedic powerhouse…Kurtz,…”
New York Theatre Guide >
April 20, 2026
Christian Lewis
The Heathers
“I’ve contemplated over the past few days who would be a more perfect Heather Chandler than McKenzie Kurtz, and I’ve got nothing. Her comedic snark matched with a killer voice is as near to musical theatre perfection as you can get.”
The Heathers
“The brightest, funniest, and most lacerating portrait in this ‘Heathers’ comes from McKenzie Kurtz, whose Heather proves one of the most entertaining monsters you’re likely to witness on stage this season.” . During one ensemble number at a recent preview, her gestures alone had the audience in stitches”.
The Heathers
“A magnificently funny yet slightly scary McKenzie Kurtz as Heather Chandler… “
The Heathers
“McKenzie Kurtz lifts the ironic character of Heather Chandler in death with great humor.”
The Heart of Rock and Roll
“McKenzie Kurtz is a Daffy Delight!”
The New York Times
The Heart of Rock and Roll
Leading lady McKenzie Kurtz “is giving one of the funniest performances of the season.”
Theatre Mania
The Heart of Rock and Roll
“Cassandra, (McKenzie Kurtz) gives this ingenue surprising quirks and comic chops.”
Variety
The Heart of Rock and Roll
“McKenzie Kurtz is pleasingly pert as Cassandra.”
The New York Sun