The musical adaptation of Billy Crystal’s Mr. Saturday Night is heading to Broadway following a recent engagement at Barrington Stage Company in Massachusetts. The musical comedy, featuring a score by Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown and Tony-nominated lyricist Amanda Green, will play the Nederlander Theatre (currently home of The Lehman Trilogy) beginning March 1, 2022, with opening night set for March 31.
In Mr. Saturday Night, Crystal returns to the role of stand-up comic Buddy Young Jr., whom he played in the 1992 Columbia Pictures film of the same name. Crystal co-wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy about a borscht-belt comedian whose abrasive ego eclipses his success and alienates his family.
The project reunites Crystal with the film’s original co-authors, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who have adapted their original screenplay. Tony winner John Rando (Urinetown, On the Town) directs, with music direction by David O and choreography by Ellenore Scott.
The Barrington presentation also starred Tony winner Randy Graff (City of Angels, Les Misérables) as Buddy’s wife, Elaine Young; David Paymer recreating his Oscar-nominated performance as Buddy’s brother Stan Yankelman; and Chasten Harmon as his agent, Annie Wells; all three will reprise their performances on Broadway. Additional casting will be confirmed later.
The staging, produced by Nederlander Presentations with special arrangement from Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, also features sets by Scott Pask, costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Kenneth Posner, video and projection design by Jeff Sugg, sound design by Kai Harada, and hair and wig design by Charles LaPointe. The production stage manager is Tripp Phillips.
In 2004, Emmy winner Crystal made his Broadway debut with his one-man show 700 Sundays, which won a 2005 Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event. The Broadway production was subsequently released as an HBO special, garnering four Emmy nominations. Crystal offered a return engagement at Broadway's Imperial in 2013.
