MR. SATURDAY NIGHT Plays Final Broadway Performance Today

It brought a lotta joy, and today, as BroadwayWorld previously reported, Mr. Satuday Night plays its final Broadway performance. The Tony-nominated musical comedy, starring Tony and Emmy Award winner Billy Crystal, opened on Wednesday April 27th at the Nederlander Theater and has played 28 previews and 116 performances.

"Bringing Mr. Saturday Night to the Broadway stage and experiencing the laughter and tears this show generates has truly been one of the high points of my career," said Billy Crystal. "It has been a joyous experience to make my musical comedy debut at the age of 74, and I thank everyone involved: my co-writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel; director John Rando; our composer and lyricist, Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green, and our music director David O; my vocal coach David Stroud; our choreographer Ellenore Scott; Scott Pask and our entire design team; our musicians and crew; the best producing partner you could ask for, Jimmy Nederlander; and the fantastic cast, each of whom I have great affection for and who made me so proud to act with every show. The character Buddy Young Jr. has been part of my life for many decades and I'm honored that I was able to share him with the audiences at the Nederlander Theatre."

Mr. Saturday Night is the story of Buddy Young Jr., an outrageous and outspoken comedian who found fame, if not fortune, in the early days of television. Now, some 40 years after his TV career flamed out, Buddy seeks one more shot at the spotlight, and while he's at it, one last shot at fixing the family he fractured along the way.

MR. SATURDAY NIGHT also features Tony Award winner Randy Graff (City of Angels, Les Misérables) as Elaine Young; David Paymer (City Slickers, Quiz Show, State & Main), who is recreating his Oscar-nominated performance as Buddy's brother Stan Yankleman; Tony Award nominee Shoshana Bean (Wicked, Waitress) as Susan Young; and Chasten Harmon (The Good Fight, Elementary, Broadway's Hair) as agent Annie Wells. The Broadway company also includes Jordan Gelber (Sunday in the Park with George), Brian Gonzales (Aladdin), and Mylinda Hull (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Sweet Charity), Stephen DeRosa (Gary: A Sequel), Henry Gainza (On Your Feet), Tari Kelly (Groundhog Day) and Tatiana Wechsler (Broadway debut).

In this production, Mr. Crystal returns to the role of Buddy Young Jr. that he portrayed in the original 1992 Columbia Pictures film of the same name, which also marked his directorial debut. The book for the stage musical is written by Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. The score for Mr. Saturday Night features music by three-time Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Bridges of Madison County) and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody). Tony Award winner John Rando (Urinetown, On The Town) will direct. The production will feature choreography by Ellenore Scott (Funny Girl).

Based on the Castle Rock Entertainment motion picture, Mr. Saturday Night is written by Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel and based on a concept by Billy Crystal. By special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.