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.
Directed by John Rando (Urinetown, On the Town) and based on the book written by Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, Mr. Saturday Night bows this week at the Nederlander Theatre. It features a score by Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years), lyrics by Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody), and choreography by Ellenore Scott (Head Over Heels), who all do their best to bring to life a show that at times feels bogged down with mediocre songs and lackluster staging.
There are a few scenes in Mr. Saturday Night, the new musical which opened tonight at the Nederlander Theatre, where the titular star, played by Billy Crystal, performs for sleepy retirement homes. You might find that the projections behind him, depicting throngs of patrons 65-and-up, are not too different from your surrounding audience members. It shouldn’t be a surprise: Crystal is a decades-spanning comedy legend, here recreating a role first created in 1984, and immortalized in a 1992 film of the same name. What is surprising, given that no one really asked for this, and considering the general soullessness of such reboots, is how perfectly charming and entertaining the work is.
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