Billy Crystal alludes to Will Smith’s Oscar slap in rehearsals for his Broadway show Mr. Saturday Night: ‘We got through a show and nobody got hit’
Billy Crystal referenced Will Smith’s slap in the face by Chris Rock at the Oscars during a Monday dress rehearsal for his upcoming Broadway show Mr. Saturday Night.
“We got through a show and nobody got hit – unbelievable,” the 74-year-old New Yorker said in a post-performance speech to applause at Manhattan’s Nederlander Theater, in a clip released on Deadline.
The nine-time Oscar presenter has been open about reprising the character of Buddy Young Jr. for the musical adaptation of Mr. Saturday Night, which was released as a theatrical film by Columbia Pictures in 1992. The story revolves around Young’s efforts to revitalize his career decades after its prime.
The Latest: Billy Crystal, 74, referenced Will Smith’s slap in the face by Chris Rock at the Oscars during a Monday dress rehearsal for his upcoming Broadway show Mr. Saturday Night. The actor was spotted in LA earlier this month at the Critics Choice Awards
David Paymer, who received an Oscar nomination for his role as Young’s brother Stan Yankelman, is reprising his role for the Broadway show.
Crystal said, “It’s been a long journey: I started playing this guy in a special on HBO called A Comic’s Line in 1984, and then it went to another HBO special, and then we did the movie and now here it is , all this time later, 30 years later, Mr. Paymer and I don’t need the makeup anymore and it’s really exciting!’
According to a synopsis from the producers, the musical is about “an outrageous and outspoken comedian who rose to fame in the early days of television! Now, some 40 years after reaching the top, Buddy will make one last attempt to reclaim the limelight – and his family – one hilarious step at a time.”
Crystal and Paymer are joined in the Broadway show by Randy Graff, Shoshana Bean and Chasten Harmon, directed by John Rando. Jason Robert Brown composed the music, while Amanda Green and Ellenore Scott directed the show’s choreography.
Crystal said after his show, “We got through a show and nobody got hit – amazing,” referring to Smith’s rock slap at the Oscars on Sunday in LA
The nine-time Oscar presenter has been open about reprising the character of Buddy Young Jr. for the musical adaptation of Mr. Saturday Night, which was released as a theatrical film by Columbia Pictures in 1992
The musical is based on the film, which was penned by Crystal, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel.
The veteran entertainer joked about adapting the material to the Broadway stage: “It’s been an incredible journey and just to think I have to do this seven times a week – what the heck was I thinking? … now the work begins.”
Crystal spoke to AP in November about adapting the story from the movie into a musical.
“What the music has done to elevate and drive the story and bring out the dynamic in the characters is quite amazing to me,” said Crystal. “It’s something I honestly couldn’t be more excited about.”
He added, “There’s something about this guy and this world that I love. I think we’ve taken this story and this character to a better place than I could have ever imagined.”
Mr. Saturday Night is scheduled to begin previews on Tuesday, just under a month before its official opening on April 27.