Mr. Saturday Night is the story of Buddy Young Jr., an outrageous and outspoken comedian who found fame, if not fortune, in the early days of television. Now, some 40 years after his TV career flamed out, Buddy seeks one more shot at the spotlight, and while he's at it, one last shot at fixing the family he fractured along the way.
Three decades later, Crystal too is in his 70s, and in the new musical comedy 'Mr. Saturday Night,' which opened on Wednesday night, he slips much more naturally into Buddy's skin. As a piece of theater, the show is a bit of a mess; the jokes, even some of the hoary ones, work better than the storytelling, and the acting styles are all over the place. Still, it makes for a diverting evening - because it will almost surely make you laugh, and because of how acutely tuned into the audience Crystal is.
A show about a comedian getting a shot at a new medium - for Buddy, a movie; for Billy, a Broadway musical - has a tidy meta tinge. Billy/Buddy's brand of insult humor and verbal slaps make for a touchy subject in 2022. That's worth noting. Good comic timing, after all, is no joke.
| 2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Billy Crystal |
| 2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Billy Crystal |
| 2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Amanda Green |
| 2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Amanda Green |
| 2022 | Drama League Awards | Contribution to the Theater Award | Billy Crystal |
| 2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Shoshana Bean |
| 2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Billy Crystal |
| 2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Musical | Mr. Saturday Night |
| 2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Billy Crystal |
| 2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Lowell Ganz |
| 2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Babaloo Mandel |
| 2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Shoshana Bean |
| 2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Mr. Saturday Night |
| 2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Video/Projection Design (Play or Musical) | Jeff Sugg |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Billy Crystal |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Mr. Saturday Night |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Jason Robert Brown |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Jason Robert Brown |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Billy Crystal |
| 2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Shoshana Bean |
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