Billy Crystal is a Broadway musical star for the first time. The legendary comedian and actor is now the leading man in the new Broadway musical Mr. Saturday Night, playing at the Nederlander Theatre.
Mr. Saturday Night was a film in 1992 written by Crystal, Babaloo Mandel, and Lowell Ganz (who returned to adapt the script for Broadway). It tells the story of an aging Borscht Belt comedian with the stage name Buddy Young Jr. trying to reinvigorate his career after time has passed him by. The movie took place in the 1990s with Young washed up, but featured flashbacks to when Young was a rising star. Crystal was in his 40s while filming the movie and had to age himself up for most scenes. Now in his 70s, Crystal is stepping into the role on stage but this time as roughly the same age as his character. It makes for a much more endearing portrayal of what it’s like to get older.
Billy Crystal kills (to borrow a stand-up comedy term) as the lead of this musical. He radiates charisma from the moment he takes the stage. The thrills are the scenes when he’s doing stand-up comedy to the audience, with some hysterical jokes. Specifically, people familiar with Jewish humor or culture will be rolling at some of his bits. He also brings levity to his character aging and moping around his apartment with his wife Elaine (Randy Graff). And his singing voice, not heard since “put that thing back where it came from or so help me” from Pixar’s Monsters Inc., is quite pleasant.
Also returning from the original film is longtime character actor David Paymer as Buddy’s elder brother, Stan. Paymer was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal in the movie, and still brings the earnest sympathy as the true heart of the story. There’s new focus on the character of Buddy’s daughter, Susan, played by Shoshana Bean. Bean brings her stellar voice and plays the role empathetically, with attention being brought to how Buddy’s focus on his career led to the neglect of his child. Another difference from the film is added emphasis on the part of Buddy’s young agent named Annie played by Chasten Harmon. She knows nothing of the Borscht Belt but becomes passionate about getting people to take Buddy seriously, taken personally since people don’t take her seriously. Harmon brings some fire to the role and an excellent singing voice. This show also features the hardest working three-person ensemble on Broadway. Jordan Gelber, Brian Gonzales, and Mylinda Hill play every bit part in the show, showing incredibly broad range.
The score is a weak spot, with music by Jason Robert Brown and lyrics by Amanda Green. These two Broadway veterans didn’t reinvent the wheel, the songs are fairly standard showtunes with nothing to write home about. The best of the tunes is called “A Little Joy,” used as Young’s opener and closer to his stand-up sets. But the highlight of the show is the comedy and Crystal’s charisma. Getting a ticket to Mr. Saturday Night promises and delivers barrels of laughs and the thrill of Billy Crystal in his natural element.