‘Mr. Saturday Night’ Broadway Review: Genial Billy Crystal Musical Delivers Punchlines Without The Punches
deadline.comYou might feel like you’ve already seen Mr. Saturday Night the musical even if you’ve never seen Mr. Saturday Night the movie, and whether you find that comforting – Billy Crystal certainly is one of the most likable presences in all of show business – or disappointing might depend entirely on your taste for well-delivered Borsht Belt comedy.That’s not damning with faint praise: Mr.
Saturday Night, the Broadway musical opening tonight at the Nederlander Theatre based on the 1992 comedy, is, at its best, a charming showcase for the undeniable talents of both Crystal and the showbiz icons he adores.
There are shout-outs galore here to the likes of Milton Berle, Harry Ritz, Jack Carter, Phil Silvers, Myron Cohen, Moms Mabley, Shecky Green and more, and a lovely visual tribute (Scott Pask designed the attractive sets) to comedy and TV pioneers from Betty White and Phyllis Diller to Richard Pryor and George Carlin.
Mr. Saturday Night, like its star, doesn’t hold back in paying its respects.Even the story itself – about a once-popular 1950s comedian whose career self-sabotage has left him, in the 1990s, playing the community rooms of local retirement homes – taps into the lore of such early TV legends as Jack Paar, Arthur Godfrey and Sid Caesar.
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