MR. SATURDAY NIGHT Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/28/22 at 12:00am

Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!

The new musical Mr. Saturday Night begins previews tomorrow night at the Nederlander Theatre, ahead of an April 27 official opening. Based on the 1992 Oscar-nominated film of the same name, the tuner marks Billy Crystal’s Broadway musical debut at 74 years old; he leads the cast and cowrote the book with Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. Rounding out the principal cast are Randy Graff, David Paymer, Shoshana Bean, and Chasten Harmon. Mr. Saturday Night features music by Jason Robert Brown, lyrics by Amanda Green, choreography by Ellenore Scott, and direction by John Rando.

“Mr. Saturday Night is the story of Buddy Young, Jr., an outrageous and outspoken comedian who found fame in the early days of television! Now, some 40 years after he hit the top, Buddy will take one last shot at reclaiming the spotlight – and his family – one hilarious step at a time. Mr. Saturday Night is the brand-new musical comedy about being a funny man, a family man, and getting a second chance at both.”

Who’s going?

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/28/22 at 12:57am

Thanks to TDF I’ll be there! I got this email from them the day after purchasing my tickets:

“Dear TDF Member,

The producers have asked that for this performance you should try to pick up your tickets from the box office no later than 1 hour prior to showtime. The house will open 45 minutes in advance of curtain for vaccination checks. Please be sure you bring proof of vaccination and photo ID. 

Enjoy the show!”

I’m not knowledgeable on any of this stuff; could this have any significance outside of them just trying to reduce box office congestion? The standard TDF “Your tickets will be available for pickup at the box office no earlier than 1 hour prior to the performance” message WAS in the confirmation email. I’m assuming it’s insignificant, but I’m used to box office tickets always having an earliest time you can pick them up, not latest, so I found this email interesting.

Updated On: 3/28/22 at 12:57 AM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 9:13pm

Anxiously awaiting an end-of-show report from Shirtless Jake...

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 10:41pm

OY, My face hurts from smiling! How do you turn a minor film into a major musical? Just ask Billy Crystal, because he created something really special here. For me, this is my favorite new musical this year. What's that you ask - a musical with Billy Crystal and David Paymer, two guys who can't sing and it's your favorite new musical? YES. 

As I said in the other thread after Act One, this is a musical for everyone but especially for the Jews. And it's about time my people had a new musical. It's Billy at his best and giving all the Borscht Belt humor you could  ever want from him. Seeing his "700 Sundays" in 2005 was one of the greatest nights I'd ever spent in the theater and this new show is, like that one, just so "HIM" that it almost felt like a companion piece, in a way. This reminds me of "Boy From Oz", where a show is just so tied to someone, I can't really imagine anyone else ever performing it and, if Billy ever had to miss a show, there's no point in anyone else stepping in. Apart from him, the entire cast is spot on. I finally got to see Randy Graff on stage and that was a thrill for me. A dream come true. Shoshana, as well was perfect in her role and even though it was a smaller supporting part she made it hers and managed to stand out which is HARD on that stage. 
 

I really enjoyed the music in this strangely enough, even though it was sung a lot by two people who in any other show you'd say have no business singing. But here it works, 100%. Someone mentioned the set looking cheap and it really doesn't in person. The "main" set is an apartment which is very nice and the rest of the show is mainly rollaway pieces and backdrops using projections which are incorporated perfectly and jokes themselves, at times. The show has so much heart to it and my friend and I walked out with huge smiles on our faces and hearing talk like "Well, Billy has the Tony. It's his." And I totally agree with that. This is one of those years where I can see it already engraved, and deservedly so. 

As for me, I'm sitting at my desk typing this and I'm still leaning to the right because I'm stretching out the muscle in my side I pulled laughing.  All my family will be seeing this, I'm going to make sure of that. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 10:47pm

This is nice to hear!

What's the score comparable to, more in the vein of Honeymoon in Vegas?

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 10:48pm

Oh man... now I might really need to see this show...

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 10:52pm

I was just informed by the nosy nelly looking over my shoulder when I was typing that I DID in fact see Randy Graff onstage in 2008 in "Damn Yankees" at Encores, so I apologize for lying. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 10:56pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "This is nice to hear!

What's the score comparable to, more in the vein of Honeymoon in Vegas?"

I'm going to say no, but only because I enjoyed this one and hated the music in "Honeymoon In Vegas" (Sidenote I was gonna paraphrase just the letters but that would be "HIV" and didn't think it would be appropriate so I typed out "Honeymoon In Vegas".

 

[UWS10023]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:01pm

Jordan Catalano said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "This is nice to hear!

What's the score comparable to, more in the vein of Honeymoon in Vegas?"

I'm going to say no, but only because I enjoyed this one and hated the music in "Honeymoon In Vegas" (Sidenote I was gonna paraphrase just the letters but that would be "HIV" and didn't think it would be appropriate so I typed out "Honeymoon In Vegas".

"

What a fun report from one of my favorite posters! Thanks!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:09pm

Great to hear! And honestly what a fun Tony Awards year. No real front-runners. The awards are anyone's game (except maybe supporting lady). 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:21pm

Well come back to NYC and I'll take you to see it.

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:28pm

I was there tonight too and I just loved it. Borscht Belt humor may not be to everyone’s taste, and a younger audience may not be on board, but funny is funny, and the audience ate it up. Like you said, Jordan, neither Billy or David Paymer are great singers but they put their numbers across well. It’s a terrific story, and very touching. There is nothing like watching a seasoned pro like Billy Crystal on stage.

And the score is great. Very much along the lines of Honeymoon in Vegas. Again, not everyone’s cup of tea, but I happen to love it. Very infectious melodies, clever lyrics and brassy orchestrations reminiscent of Burt Bacharach. I only wish the band had a few more pieces.

The three-person character actor chorus, who play countless roles are great comedians, actors and singers, Randy Graff and Chasten Harmon are great, but the real bonus was Shoshana Bean as Billy’s daughter. I’d never seen her on stage before. Wow. Her voice is fabulous and her comic timing is impeccable. It really serves the story that as troubled a character as she is, and no matter how strained her relationship is with her dad, she still inherited his comedic chops. Her scenes with Billy are gold. Plus she has the best songs in the show. I can’t get that closing number out of my head.

 

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:39pm

It’s hard for me to know how to feel about this. Billy Crystal is great. He’s so funny and this show is built around him doing what he does (which he does SO well), but that doesn’t make a complete musical.

It’s hard for me to process what exactly didn’t work, and whenever I write something out I feel like I’m nitpicking, but the use of the family (Susan/Elaine/Stan) I think is what was off. Everything needed to move Buddy’s story forward is there and the needed interactions to do so serve their purpose, but these other characters’ stories aren’t being effectively told. Yes, it’s Buddy’s story, but when everything about these other character’s lives isn’t well developed, it’s hard for their interactions and conflicts with Buddy to feel natural or even real. And then when they had their songs they felt unearned.

Overall though, despite it feeling like it left a lot to be desired musical-wise, I still really enjoyed it. Billy Crystal is obviously hilarious, but everyone else was too which made it an endlessly funny show. That’s the selling point and it really delivers. Shoshana Bean gives an amazing performance and even though I didn’t love how her character or songs were used, she still managed to pull it off. I also really liked Chasten Harmon. I did enjoy most of the songs and them not being sung by amazing singers really didn’t take much away. It made me appreciate the better singers in the cast more, and think about how certain songs could sound with someone else, but it didn’t hurt the show at all.

I might’ve just gone in with the wrong expectations. I really didn’t know what to expect at all so I was excited to see how everything played out, and then stuff felt a bit scattered. But with it being really about Billy Crystal and how funny and how great of a performer he is, it fully delivers.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:46pm

What was the running time tonight, please?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:47pm

About 2:45.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:49pm

Thanks!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/29/22 at 11:51pm

So two musicals this season led by two non-singers? (I kid I Kid). 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 12:24am

EDSOSLO858 said: "Anxiously awaiting an end-of-show report from Shirtless Jake..."

Lolz. Take a hint. 

 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 12:47am

I loved Billy but could have done without the 3 person chorus who I did not find funny.  This show is great when Billy is doing his Mr. Saturday Night routine.  I laughed often as I am a fan of borscht belt humor.  This did not work as a musical for me.  I didn’t find any of the songs memorable.  It’s also too long and hopefully they will edit out 20 minutes or so.  Glad I saw it but didn’t love it.  

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 12:55am

Oh man, i wouldn’t cut anything from it. By the time intermission came I couldn’t believe it had already been on for over an hour, it just flew by. 

[inception]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 1:44am

In the original film, the character of Buddy was too egotistical & mean, making it hard for the audience to care.  The film ended up flopping at the box office.

Here's a quote from a review on blu-ray.com from when the film was released on blu-ray:

"Buddy Young, Jr. repeatedly turns off audiences throughout Mr. Saturday Night, and that's the obstacle facing the film itself. With such an inherently unlikable (or at least not very likable) character at the center of the film, those who expected a loving and laugh filled tribute to show business days gone by were probably thrown for a loop by the bittersweet and often just plain bitter feel of this story."

I'm curious if they have fixed what caused the film to fail?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 6:16am

Looks like Stephen DeRosa covers Billy Crystal, but I'd assume they'd cancel instead of having DeRosa go on(similar to Hugh Jackman). Only way he'd likely go on would likely be mid-show.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 9:16am

I haven’t seen that film since the 90s so I don’t really remember much about it but if there were issues with the characters likability, those are all fixed now. 
 

As for DeRosa, the Playbill doesn’t even list him as a cover. In fact, there’s nobody listed as a cover for that role so I’d assume if Billy is out, the show would be canceled.  

[Jimbo2]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 9:56am

I enjoyed the show very much. I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time and it sure felt good. I haven't seen Randy Graff on stage since City of Angels! My friend thought the show would have worked better as a play instead of a musical. I hope Mr. Brown gives Shoshana some good belting songs, she has a good number in the 2nd act but I wanted to hear more of her singing.

Go and laugh. We can all use a bit of laughter in this world these days right?

[Dylan Pellagrino]

Posted: 3/30/22 at 9:57am

Got tickets for last nights performance via TDF! Seats were MEZ ROW C - Seat 20,22. Amazing seats!

I want to preface this with - I have never seen Mr. Saturday Night, the movie. I am also not familiar with Billy Crystals comedy style. That being said this was the worst Broadway production I have ever seen. There is nothing redeemable about this show at all. This should tell you the level of "genius comedy" we are subjected to: Biggest laugh of the night was an adult diaper joke. Second biggest laugh was a joke about a Chinese man's name being Buddy Young. All the Asian jokes need to be cut immediately - they are painful to hear. I was embarrassed to come back for the second act! Please we need to get Shoshana Bean out of there!! She is way too good for this production! None of the songs work and there is virtually ZERO plot. I would scrap all the songs and turn it into a play. Wouldn't make my worst enemy sit through this show. I have no idea who this is supposed to be for (I brought my 62 year old mom who also hated it). Will be shocked if it stays open longer than a month! RIP MR. SATURDAY NIGHT!!! 

Also not many technical issues for first preview - except David Paymer's mic kept echoing and screeching (hopefully this is fixed before opening night)! 

All the love to the crew of this production, I'm sure they are trying their best. 

Updated On: 3/30/22 at 09:57 AM