Billy Crystal reprises his star turn as the comedian Buddy Young Jr. in a new musical adaptation of Mr. Saturday Night. Based on the 1992 film, the show follows a comedian who tries to fix the relationships he broke during his fall from fame. Mr. Saturday Night tickets will be available on New York Theatre Guide soon.
The Mr. Saturday Night musical centers on Buddy Young Jr., a comedian past his prime. In a series of flashbacks, it's revealed that he rose to fame as the star of his own Saturday night TV show, but his career tanked when he performed an ill-advised, offensive set while appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. As his prominence dwindled, he alienated his loved ones, including his daughter Susan and his brother and former manager, Stan. But in the present day, a young agent rediscovers a now 73-year-old Buddy's work and gives him a second shot at fame. But he has to overcome his ego and his self-destructive tendencies if he wants to rebuild his career and his relationships with his family.
The Mr. Saturday Night movie was praised for Crystal's and his co-stars' performances, and David Paymer received an Academy Award nomination for playing Stan — a role he, like Crystal, is set to reprise on Broadway. And Crystal, besides starring in Mr. Saturday Night, co-wrote, produced, and made his directorial debut with the film. For the Mr. Saturday Night Broadway premiere, he has teamed up with his co-screenwriters, Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz, to adapt their film script for the stage. They're joined by lyricist Amanda Green, three-time Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, director John Rando, and choreographer Ellenore Scott.
Tickets to Mr. Saturday Night will be available soon.