Video: NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME Off-Broadway First Look
The cast includes Ian Bouillion as Lorne Michaels, Ryan Crout as John Belushi, Jared Grimes as Garrett Morris, and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 20, 2025
The New York premiere of NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME, a bold, behind-the-scenes look at the launch of one of America’s most iconic shows, officially opens Off-Broadway tonight. Written by Erik J. Rodriguez & Charles A. Sothers and directed by Conor Bagley, the production will initially run through November 30 at The Newman Mills Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space. Watch the trailer here!
Arriving during a milestone anniversary season for the legendary show that inspired it, NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME is set in 1975 and follows nine soon-to-be legends—Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Lorne Michaels, Garrett Morris, Bill Murray, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner—as they navigate the chaos, creativity, and comedy that changed television forever. This new play pulses with live music, quick wit, and backstage mayhem, capturing the electric atmosphere of a cultural revolution in the making.
From the writers’ room battles to the live-on-air adrenaline, this fast-paced and irreverent play dives into the personalities, clashes, and lightning-in-a-bottle moments that built an American institution.
The cast includes Ian Bouillion as Lorne Michaels, Ryan Crout as John Belushi, Jared Grimes as Garrett Morris, Caitlin Houlahan as Jane Curtin, Nate Janis as Bill Murray, Kristian Lugo as Dan Ackroyd, Woodrow Proctor as Chevy Chase, Taylor Richardson as Laraine Newman, and Evan Rubin Gilda Radner with Understudies Gilbert L. Bailey II, Jacob Millman, and Jake Roberson.
