Mr. Saturday Night is a musical with music by Jason Robert Brown, lyrics by Amanda Green, and a book by Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, based on the 1992 film. The musical follows comedian Buddy Young, Jr, decades past his prime, as he attempts a second chance at fame and his family. It premiered at Barrington Stage Company in October 2021. The musical moved to Broadway opening on April 27, 2022, at the Nederlander Theatre.
The Broadway production received positive reviews by critics, praising the book and music of the musical, being nominated for five Tony Awards, including for Best Musical. The performances of Billy Crystal and Shoshana Bean were positively reviewed, and the two were nominated for Tony Awards. The show's cast recording received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Production history The musical had its world premiere at Barrington Stage Company on October 22, 2021, for a limited run until October 30.
The production began previews on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre on March 29, 2022, prior to officially opening on April 27. On July 17, 2022, the production announced its closing for September 4, 2022, after 28 previews and 116 performances.
Musical numbers
Barrington Stage (2021) Source: Act I "Mr. Saturday Night" – Buddy's Singers "A Little Joy" – Buddy "The Living Room" – Abie & Stan "There’s a Chance" – Susan "That Guy" – Buddy "At Farber’s" – Farber & Ensemble "Until Now" – Buddy, Elaine & Stan "Timing" – Buddy, Howie, Will & Ronnie "What If I Said?" – Annie "Unbelievable" – Full Company
Act II "Maybe It Starts With Me" – Susan "Tahiti" – Elaine "My Wonderful Pain" – Elaine & Buddy "Broken" – Stan "Any Man But Me" – Buddy "Stick Around" – Susan, Elaine, Buddy, Annie & Company
Broadway (2022) Source: Act I "We're Live" – Bobby, Joey, & Lorraine "A Little Joy" – Buddy "There's a Chance" – Susan "I Still Got It" – Buddy & Stan "At Farber's" – Farber, Ramon, & Rebekah "Buddy's First Act" – Buddy, Elaine, & Stan "Until Now" – Buddy, Elaine, & Stan "Timing" – Buddy, Bobby, Joey, & Lorraine "What If I Said?" – Annie "Unbelievable" – Full Company
Act II "What's Playin' at the Movies" – Bobby, Joey, & Lorraine "Maybe It Starts With Me" – Susan "Tahiti" – Elaine "My Wonderful Pain" – Elaine & Buddy "Broken" – Stan "Any Man But Me" – Buddy "Stick Around" – Susan, Elaine, Buddy, Annie, & Company
Cast and characters +Character Barrington Stage Broadway Buddy Young, Jr. Billy Crystal Elaine Young Randy Graff Stan Yankelman David Paymer Susan Young Alysha Umphress Shoshana Bean Annie Wells Chasten Harmon Joey/Farber/Dr. Jeff/Elderly Actor & Others Jordan Gelber Bobby/Mr. Jacovitti/Ramon/Larry Myereson & OthersBrian Gonzales Lorraine/NBC Page/Lucille/Karen & Others Mylinda Hull
Reception The play officially opened on April 27, 2022 with many in the industry attending opening night including Steve Martin, Martin Short, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Bryan Cranston, and Alex Borstein.
The show was met with positive reviews from critics particularly for Crystal's lively performance. The New York Times praised Crystal's performance, writing, "Crystal is utterly in his element performing live...It's a pleasure to watch." Critic Adam Feldman of Time Out wrote, "By Broadway standards, Mr. Saturday is a modest little show... But it delivers exactly what it promises: Crystal, completely in his element, with a crowd that is more than happy to buy what he’s selling". Variety called it "the funniest show on Broadway in years, if not the most likable." Peter Marks of The Washington Post described the show as "a slender but agreeable Broadway musical" in which the jokes "are old-school funny, polished and impeccably timed".
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result2022Drama Desk AwardsOutstanding Actor in a MusicalBilly Crystal Outstanding Book of a Musical Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel Outstanding LyricsAmanda GreenDrama League Award Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical Distinguished Performer Award Billy Crystal Shoshana Bean Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Broadway Musical Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Shoshana Bean Outstanding Book of a Musical Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel Outstanding Projection Design Jeff Sugg Tony Awards Best Musical Best Book of a Musical Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel Best Original Score Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green Best Actor in a Musical Billy Crystal Best Featured Actress in a Musical Shoshana Bean 2023Grammy AwardsBest Musical Theater AlbumMr. Saturday NightShoshana Bean, Billy Crystal, Randy Graff and David Paymer, principal soloists; Jason Robert Brown, Sean Patrick Flahaven and Jeffrey Lesser, producers; Jason Robert Brown, composer; Amanda Green, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
References
External links Official website