'Saturday Night Live'-inspired play 'Not Ready for Prime Time' to open off Broadway

Coinciding with the hit sketch comedy series's 50th-anniversary year in 2025, the stage show will play a limited run at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space.

Not Ready for Prime Time, a new play that goes behind the scenes of the early days of Saturday Night Live, will play a limited run off Broadway this fall at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space. Performances are set to run from October 5 to November 30, with opening night on October 20.

Set in 1975, the year Saturday Night Live first aired, Not Ready for Prime Time follows nine future comedy legends — Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Lorne Michaels, Garrett Morris, Bill Murray, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner — as they're about to change TV forever. The show dives into the backstage chaos, the adrenaline of live performances, the writers' room fights, and more, and its Off-Broadway premiere coincides with the 50th-anniversary year of Saturday Night Live.

“This is a story about the moment lightning struck,” said co-writer Erik J. Rodriguez in a statement. “These performers didn’t just make comedy—they changed it forever.”

Rodriguez penned Not Ready for Prime Time with Charles A. Sothers, and Conor Bagley directs. The cast includes Ian Bouillon as Lorne Michaels, Ryan Crout as John Belushi, Tony Award nominee 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, SAG Award nominee Taylor Richardson as Laraine Newman, and Evan Rubin as Gilda Radner. Gilbert L. Bailey II, Jacob Millman, and Jake Roberson are understudies.

The creative team includes scenic designers Justin Swader and Christopher Swader, costume designer Sarita P. Fellows, lighting designer Mextly Couzin, sound designer Liam Bellman-Sharpe, props designer Samantha Shoffner, and dramaturg Fareeda Pasha.

Check back for information on Not Ready for Prime Time tickets on New York Theatre Guide.