Following its 2022 Broadway run, the musical adaptation of Mr. Saturday Night will next head to the small screen, via its streaming debut exclusively on BroadwayHD. The five-time Tony nominated musical began previews March 29 and officially opened April 27 at the Nederlander Theatre, closing September 4. Exact dates for the stream are to be announced.
For the musical, Billy Crystal returned to the character of stand-up comedian Buddy Young, Jr., a role he portrayed in the 1992 movie of the same name. Crystal co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film comedy about a borscht-belt comedian whose abrasive ego eclipses his success and alienates his family. The project reunited Crystal with the film’s original co-authors, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who adapted their original screenplay.
“It has been the ultimate goal of BroadwayHD to make Broadway more accessible to the masses, which is why it was vital for us to work with comedy legend Billy Crystal to capture his joyous musical comedy Mr. Saturday Night: A New Musical Comedy, and bring it to our platform. It’s an honor to exclusively stream this hilarious production after it leaves Broadway,” said Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, co-founders of BroadwayHD.
Mr. Saturday Night also stars Tony winner Randy Graff (City of Angels, Les Misérables) as Buddy’s wife, Elaine Young; Oscar nominee David Paymer returning to his film role of Stan Yankelman, Buddy’s brother; Chasten Harmon as his agent, Annie Wells; and Shoshana Bean as Buddy's daughter, Susan. Rounding out the ensemble are Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales, and Mylinda Hull.
Tony winner John Rando (Urinetown, On the Town) directed the production, with music direction by David O and choreography by Ellenore Scott. The creative team also features scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Paul Tazewell and Sky Switser, lighting design 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. Orchestrations and arrangements are by Brown.
Mr. Saturday Night received five 2022 Tony nominations, including Best Musical, Book (Crystal, Ganz, and Mandel), Score (Brown and Green), Leading Actor in a Musical (Crystal), and Featured Actress in a Musical (Bean).
The capture for BroadwayHD is produced by Lane, Comley, and Gio Messale.
Brian Gonzales, Chasten Harmon, Randy Graff, Billy Crystal, David Paymer, Shoshana Bean, Mylinda Hull, and Jordan Gelber
Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal and David Paymer
Shoshana Bean
Randy Graff and Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal and Shoshana Bean
Randy Graff
Billy Crystal and Chasten Harmon
Brian Gonzales, Mylinda Hull, Billy Crystal, and Jordan Gelber
Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales, and Billy Crystal
David Paymer
Chasten Harmon
