Mr. Saturday Night (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (346)
See it if Very reminiscent of 60’s comedies that no longer exist. Borscht belt humor. Funny and enjoyable. Adorable.
Don't see it if Jokes are anticipated and expected. But welcome nonetheless.
See it if you love Billy Crystal He was fabulous
Don't see it if you didn't like the movie or Billy Crystal
See it if you enjoy scatting in Yiddish.
Don't see it if you don't like Borscht Belt humor.
See it if Truly funny and touching. A lot of story and a lot of substance. Cast totally excels and Crystal's energy and charm are inexhaustible.
Don't see it if don't want to laugh or get involved in a rich story. There's so much going on for a change instead of just the usual mindless musical flash
See it if You are a Billy Crystal fan...he is the heart and soul of the production.
Don't see it if You are easily offended. You are not a Billy Crystal fan.
See it if want to laugh out loud and witness the creative genius of Billy Crystal and a talented cast. The laughter is infectious.
Don't see it if you are not interested in comedy and are looking for something serious.
See it if You want to see a master comedian at work and/or want to see an old style show.
Don't see it if You want to see a show that is less than 2 hours and 45 minutes or can't ignore the less than stellar singing of Crystal and Paymer.
See it if Good to see Billy Crystal back for a last hurrah. Show was funny and had a good storyline about him. Enjoyed and was entertained.
Don't see it if You want something serious and do not like Billy.
Critic Reviews (24)
"As a piece of theater, the show is a bit of a mess; the jokes, even some of the hoary ones, work better than the storytelling, and the acting styles are all over the place. Still, it makes for a diverting evening — because it will almost surely make you laugh, and because of how acutely tuned into the audience Crystal is."
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"By Broadway standards, 'Mr. Saturday' is a modest little show. ... Everything about it is resolutely old-fashioned—in some ways it’s a celebration of oldness itself—and it's not long on drama. (We don't even get to see the big flashback meltdown scene.) But it delivers exactly what it promises: Crystal, completely in his element, with a crowd that is more than happy to buy what he’s selling."
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"The book by Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel (the original film’s authors) and particularly the new music by Jason Robert Brown feel flabby and thin in this new environment. ... So why did I enjoy it so much? When the show isn’t trying to be a musical, it puts Crystal up in front of us and has him do Buddy’s act. Crystal is the kind of entertainer whose blade never dulls."
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"The structure of the musical is nicely roomy, giving Crystal ample time to perform standup, sell jokes, and serve up his shtick. It works!"
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"Overall, Mr. Saturday Night is a fun time, but it also feels like it's missing the spark that would make it memorable. Perhaps the show would work better as a 90-minute musical, or even as a play focused on Buddy's comedy routines, which are its high points thanks to Crystal's comedic timing and showmanship."
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"It’s the kind of show where verisimilitude is not the goal. It knows what it is: A great comic vehicle with a solid-though-unsurprising story — with a little love, if not schmaltz, thrown in for good measure."
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"You 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.'
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"You’ll be relieved to know Billy Crystal is still a stand-up guy — stand-up in the sense that the jokes in 'Mr. Saturday Night,' the 1992 film comedy he and other showbiz pros have turned into a slender but agreeable Broadway musical — are old-school funny, polished and impeccably timed."
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