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Schitt’s Creek’s Jazzagals: Inside Their Iconic Covers (‘Simply the Best’!) and Rehearsals (Exclusive)

Just a group of gals! Schitt’s Creek is filled with charming landmarks — The Rosebud Motel, Rose Apothecary, Café Tropical and even Bob’s Garage. It also is home to the singing group, the Jazzagals, led by local teacher Jocelyn Schitt (Jennifer Robertson) and former soap star Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara).

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The Crows actress learned of the group for the first time in season 2 of the beloved comedy, which ran for six seasons from 2015 to 2020. Twyla, played by Sarah Levy, also took part when she wasn’t off planning murder mystery parties.

“We would always be told weeks in advance of songs that we needed to rehearse for certain episodes. So although we didn’t necessarily know what was going on in those episodes, per se, we knew that these were the songs we had to sing as we had hours and hours of rehearsal together,” Levy, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly. “I come from a very musical family and to add that element to the show was always such a highlight. Catherine, you know, she thrives off of that stuff.”

Schitt’s Creek Jazzagals
Cbc/ITV/Kobal/Shutterstock

The show had a music arranger who would help the cast with their harmonies, which were “incredibly intricate,” she added. Some of the Jazzagals’ standout performances also coincided with pinnacle episodes of the series. In season 4, episode 13, they memorably sang “Silent Night” a cappella in “Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose.”

“[It] was so stunning. I wish there was a Jazzagals EP, or little album of all of the covers that they’d done, because you only really get to hear snippets of these songs. And they’re all live,” Levy explained to Us. “That ‘Silent Night’ rendition was live on set. … If there was one kind of, not even regret, but thing that I wish people got a little more of, it was just hearing these songs in full.”

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Another tearful cover took place during David Rose (Dan Levy) and Patrick Brewer’s (Noah Reid) wedding in the series finale. As David walked down the aisle, the women sang a rendition of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best,” which, of course, had a special connection to the couple. Two seasons earlier, Patrick serenaded David during an open-mic night.

“Such a beautiful nod. And I think Daniel and the writers did such an incredible job of these Easter eggs and throwbacks and callbacks of episodes in seasons past,” Sarah told Us. “Everyone was just teary and weepy. It was our very last day amongst our set. And it was already incredibly emotional and bittersweet to begin with. So the Jazzagals had to come in and do a little warmup and then record it first just to get the actual recording of it before we started shooting. And the entire cast and the entire crew were kind of gathered around as we were singing it, and everyone was weeping, and it was this really surreal moment of kind of the beginning of the end. It was tough to get through. It was just such a special moment.”

Schitt’s Creek Jazzagals Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O’Hara Cbc/ITV/Kobal/Shutterstock

The same can be said for Reid’s initial Rose Apothecary performance. His vulnerable risk paid off, as David — who was understandably panicked about his then-boyfriend’s decision to perform — quickly become emotional over the sweet gesture.

“I’ve always thought it was one of the most beautifully written pop songs in history,” the Happiest Season actor told GQ in July 2020. “Because of the tempo of it, and because it plays as sort of a fast-paced song, a lot of people skip over just how profound those lyrics are. I, on the other hand, would listen to it and get completely emo on long walks.”

He added: “Noah took the mandate — ’This is the song. Make it slow. Make it beautiful’ — and came up with that incredible cover. The minute I heard it, I knew that the scene was going to work.”

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The rest of the cast, on the other hand, didn’t hear Reid’s version until they filmed it. “That was such a special night because we were all hearing Noah’s version for the first time and he is such an incredible musician, so talented. And it’s such a passion of his, and I think that’s part of why that scene is so successful as well because you know that it truly is coming from his heart,” Sarah told Us. “It felt so real, that moment. We really felt like we were living in it. Luckily, we got to hear it multiple times because they did do a few takes from different angles. And it was just enough. We got to hear it as many times as we wanted to without overdoing it and it kept it fresh, and it kept it special. But I think we would have listened to it all night and all day forever. It’s such a beautiful rendition.”

The Jazzagals were in the audience that night, but they’d later sing James Morrison’s “Precious Love” during David and Patrick’s wedding ceremony. “[Those] were two songs that really kind of stood out in the series. When we learned that those were the songs that we were singing and the arrangements … we couldn’t get through them,” she said. “Daniel, I’m sure, had been planning [those], if not episodes previous, seasons previous. He’s always thinking ahead constantly.”

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