This beloved star is headed back to Broadway! Complete casting for the new musical comedy Mr. Saturday Night, starring Tony and Emmy Award winner Billy Crystal, was announced today.
Shoshana Bean (Wicked, Waitress) will play the role of Susan Young, joining previously announced cast members Randy Graff (Tony Award winner for City of Angels; Les Misérables) as Elaine Young, David Paymer (City Slickers, Quiz Show), recreating his Oscar-nominated performance as Buddy’s brother Stan Yankelman, and Chasten Harmon (Elementary, The Good Fight, Broadway’s Hair) as agent Annie Wells.
Shoshana Bean’s three independent solo albums have all topped the iTunes R&B and Blues charts in the US and UK, with her fourth and most recent project, Spectrum, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. She has sold out solo concerts around the globe, lent her voice to countless films and television shows, amassed millions of views on YouTube, and performed alongside Ariana Grande, David Foster, Postmodern Jukebox, Brian McKnight, and Michael Jackson. Shoshana is a veteran of the Broadway stage having made her debut in the original cast of Hairspray, starring as the very first replacement for Elphaba in Wicked, and most recently as Jenna in Waitress. She won an IRNE Award for her performance as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl and earned a Jeff Award nomination for her portrayal of CeeCee Bloom in the pre-Broadway musical production of Beaches.
The Broadway company will also include Jordan Gelber (Sunday in the Park with George), Brian Gonzales (Aladdin), and Mylinda Hull (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Sweet Charity).
The new musical is moving its first preview to March 29, 2022 and will officially open on April 27, 2022 at the Nederlander Theatre. Tickets are on sale now. All ticket holders for performances March 1 – 28 will be contacted by their point of purchase about rescheduling or refunding their tickets.
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. 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. 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. 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 (associate choreographer, Head Over Heels).
The production will feature 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. Music Direction is by David O. Orchestrations and arrangements are by Jason Robert Brown.
This is Billy Crystal’s return to Broadway following the hugely successful, critically acclaimed, and Tony Award-winning production of 700 Sundays that premiered in 2004 and had a return Broadway engagement in 2013.
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.