Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The hilarious and incomparable Billy Crystal is the raison d’être of his own meager musical adaptation of MR. SATURDAY NIGHT

• By drediman
• May 6, 2022
• No Comments

This week at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre, I caught the hilarious and incomparable Billy Crystal in Mr. Saturday Night, the musical adaptation of the 1992 movie of the same name (also starring Mr. Crystal) about Buddy Young, Jr., an aging stand-up comedian who must come to terms with the his professional irrelevance and – more importantly – his underlying bitterness against the world. In the early 90s, Mr. Crystal was heavily made-up to give the appearance of being an aging comedian. Now, 30 years onwards, the celebrated star, along with film co-star David Paymer (who affectingly plays Buddy’s brother Stan, both in the movie and in the current musical), are just the right age to breathe life into the material without the aid of distracting prosthetics.

For his stage adaptation, Mr. Crystal – who is responsible for the book – has enlisted the accomplished talents of composer Jason Robert Brown and lyricist Amanda Green to craft the show’s score. Together, they’ve given Mr. Saturday Night a decidedly old fashioned musical comedy treatment. Generally, the book gets the job done, although its depiction of Buddy’s problematic relationship with his daughter feels a tad under-baked. Thankfully, Mr. Crystal has softened Buddy’s brashness, rendering him more imminently likable than the character’s film incarnation. In many ways, Mr. Brown and Ms. Green’s laidback, well-crafted songs – which takes a back seat to driving the show’s narrative (with the exception of Buddy’s cathartic 11 o’clock number) – seem an unfortunate afterthought in relation to Mr. Crystal’s wordy book, which drives the show.

In comparison to Broadway’s musical spectacles, John Rando’s staging is insistently downscale. Requiring only five primary players and a hardworking ensemble of three (who amusingly play the show’s numerous miscellaneous roles), Mr. Saturday Night seems specifically designed for Off-Broadway consumption rather than being showcased under the glaring bright lights of the Great White Way. But when you take into account Mr. Crystal’s immense charisma, legendary comedic gifts, and sheer star power (to boot, he’s also a decent singer), it’s hard not to argue its place on Broadway. Undoubtedly, his presence and backing is the raison d’être of his meager show. In addition to the affecting Mr. Paymer, Mr. Crystal is supported solidly by Randy Graff as his devoted wife and an underutilized Shoshana Bean (in excellent voice) as his troubled daughter.

RECOMMENDED

MR. SATURDAY NIGHT
Broadway, Musical
Nederlander Theatre
2 hours, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through September 4