Mr. Saturday Night (musical)
2022 stage musical
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.[ 1] On July 17, 2022, the production announced its closing for September 4, 2022, after 28 previews and 116 performances.[ 2]
Musical numbers
Barrington Stage (2021)[ 3]
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
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 (2021)[ 5]
Broadway (2022)[ 4]
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 & Others
Brian 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 .[ 6]
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".[ 7] Variety called it "the funniest show on Broadway in years, if not the most likable."[ 8] 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".[ 9]
Awards and nominations
References
^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (January 12, 2022). "Shoshana Bean & More Complete the Cast of MR. SATURDAY NIGHT on Broadway" . BroadwayWorld . Retrieved 2022-01-12 .
^ Hall, Margaret (July 17, 2022). "Broadway's Mr. Saturday Night Sets Closing Date" . Playbill . Retrieved July 25, 2022 .
^ "Mr. Saturday Night (program)" (PDF) . Barrington Stage Company . Retrieved January 12, 2021 .
^ a b "Mr. Saturday Night (Broadway, Nederlander Theatre, 2022)" . Playbill .
^ "Mr. Saturday Night" . BarringtonStageCo.org . 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2022-01-12 .
^ "Bryan Cranston and Alex Borstein Fan Over Billy Crystal in N.Y.C" . People . April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022 .
^ Feldman, Adam (April 27, 2022). "Mr. Saturday Night - Review" . Time Out . Retrieved April 28, 2022 .
^ Rizzo, Frank (April 28, 2022). " 'Mr. Saturday Night' Review: Billy Crystal Brings the Laughs in His New Broadway Musical" . Variety .
^ Marks, Peter (April 27, 2022). "Billy Crystal, bringing the funny in Broadway's 'Mr. Saturday Night' " . The Washington Post . Retrieved April 28, 2022 .
^ "66th Drama Desk Awards" . Drama Desk Awards . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Culwell-Block, Logan (June 8, 2022). "Clyde's , Company , SIX: The Musical Lead 2022 Drama Desk Awards; See the Full List of Winners" . Playbill . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Lewis, Hilary (June 12, 2022). "Tony Awards: Winners List (Updating Live)" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 13, 2022 .
^ Shoshana 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)
External links