'Mr. Saturday Night'

 Very much enjoyed a performance tonight of Mr. Saturday Night, the musical adaptation of the movie made more than two decades starring Billy Crystal. The musical on Broadway also stars Crystal. The other principal from the movie, playing his same role, was David Paymer, who played the lead character's brother. 

Although the musical has taken some of the sharp edges off Crystal's character, a once successful but now almost forgotten comedian named Buddy Young, Jr. Buddy is more interesting once those edges are weakened. In the movie, he becomes so nasty as he declines in respect that you begin to lose interest in him. Although the second act here remains problematic for that reason, it's better conceived than the movie.

Reviews of the musical were less than stellar. The Times generally endorsed it as worth seeing but pointed off some deficiencies, some of which include the ones I mentioned above. I now feel those deficiencies resulted from the problems with the character, not Crystal's performance. 

The musical does a great job at conveying what comedy was like in the Catskills--the "Borscht Belt" of the 1950's. The music will not be confused with scores by the Gershwins, Cole Porter, or Lerner & Loewe, but it was suited to the show and had what the friend with whom I attended the performance called its vaudeville sound.

This was a rare instance for me of appreciating Broadway amplification in it carrying the sound to seats far back in the top balcony. Usually the acoustics of old Broadway theaters diminish the attractiveness of the sound amplification creates in these houses. Crystal was superb, even given the vagaries of the role. Randy Graff played his wife, a new role, very impressively and Paymer, as in the movie, was a strong force for good. Shoshana Bean was excellent as Buddy's daughter.

The insiders through whom my friend secured the tickets downplayed the show and suggested we'd better off seeing Six. I may indeed want to see that show, but neither of us understood the basis for the insiders' dismissive view of this show. The older audience applauded like crazy and got into the show by applauding Crystal's staged shtick in his comedy act. It's only around for another week so I'd recommend it heartedly.