MR. SATURDAY NIGHT Reviews — Page 2

Helen Shaw in Vulture is mostly positive:

https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/theater-reviews-potus-and-mr-saturday-night.html

"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. Occasionally it even shows a bit of Buddy’s old act, including a clip from the film. In the video, Crystal’s timing is perfect, a pirouette, a riot. What a master he was! What a master he is. They creative team can afford to show us Crystal in his heyday because he hasn’t changed his fundamentals. His high-pitch zany key, the gunfire patter, the Big Characters (your Miracle Max, for instance)—those have fallen away, but his grace is just getting finer and finer. Crystal delivers each punchline like a Ping-Pong player hitting short; he delicately tips the ball over the net. It’s a class he’s giving, and it’s one you should go see him teach in person: Cultivate ease when you are young, because it’s the one thing that won’t desert you when the rest of your gags are gone."

I have to confess I expected less than the basic consensus we are seeing here (though I think some of the positives are a bit on the B+ side and not getting a critics pick from the Times is probably a bigger deal than everything else we are reading here. I don't think this necessarily translates into a Tony for Crystal. (But my track record on this show is not that great.) We shall see

I really don't see how Crystal wins a Tony for this. He's wonderfully charming sure, and in his prime element in front of an audience. But Lead Actor is Jaquel Spivey's to lose. And there's a whole lot of daylight between the two performances and in terms of what is required of the respective actors.

Observer is positive on Crystal, negative on just about everything else (and appears to have printed the review text twice):

Review: Billy Crystal Deserves Better Than ‘Mr. Saturday Night’

Whatever charm exists in 'Mr. Saturday Night' is due to Mr. Crystal, but even he needs proper material.

https://observer.com/2022/04/review-billy-crystal-deserves-better-than-mr-saturday-night/

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "...But Lead Actor is Jaquel Spivey's to lose. And there's a whole lot of daylight between the two performances and in terms of what is required of the respective actors..."

I am so hoping you are right. I saw the first preview in DC, where you could see Spivey was nervous as hell, but he gave an amazing, hilarious, heart-breaking performance.