‘NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME’: Ian Bouillion & cast. Photo: Russ Rowland.

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
By Erik J. Rodriguez & Charles A. Sothers
Directed by Conor Bagley
Through November 30, 2025
Newman Mills Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space
511 West 52^nd Street
https://notreadyforprimetimeplay.com/

By Scott Harrah

Fifty years after NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” first premiered and became a cultural phenomenon, an unauthorized stage bio-drama has arrived off-Broadway on the New York stage.  Not Ready for Prime Time is by no means a definitive or 100% historically accurate chronicle of the early days of the late-night comedy, but there’s enough nostalgia here to please most “SNL” fans.

“Live from New York…it’s Saturday Night!”

The bio-drama chronicles the journey and struggles of series creator Lorne Michaels (Ian Bouillion). He cast a group of up-and-coming comedians and turned “Saturday Night Live” into a mega-hit back in 1975.

The story is structured similar to an “SNL “ episode, complete with a live band. Mr. Buillion, as Lorne Michaels, narrates the tale. All the elements of the original show are here (if you’ve followed the early days of “SNL”). Not Ready for Prime Time recounts the numerous egotistical battles of the actors and writers, all vying for more air time and high ratings. The most poignant backstories include that of Garrett Morris (Jared Grimes), the “token” African American on the show at the time. Depictions of the struggles of the female cast members are also quite powerful.

Copyright restrictions limiting

Unfortunately, the writers and producers of Not Ready for Prime Time were unable to license all of the copyrighted material from the early glory days of “SNL.” As a result, the show sometimes suffers. Anyone old enough to remember the show in the 1970s and early 1980s might be disappointed. For example, in the “Weekend Update” segment, we, alas, never get to see Dan Aykroyd (Kristian Lugo) say “Jane, you ignorant slut!” to Jane Curtin (Caitlin Houlahan).  We also never get to see such classic sketches as the Coneheads (although there’s a scene that pays clever homage, albeit indirectly).

Radner’s Roseanne

Despite the copyright restrictions, Gen X and Boomer fans of “SNL” need not worry. Not Ready for Prime Time is still worth seeing. It has some of the vintage gems like Gilda Radner (Evan Rubin) performing her wacky Roseanne Roseannadanna character. The character was based on a local New York TV news anchor. Radner’s Roseanne often took a serious topic and turned it into a bizarre, personal rant that was outrageous and often grotesque. For example, one segment on quitting smoking turned into a ridiculous story about a man coughing up a chicken bone.

Highlights & shortcomings

All the elements of the “SNL” story are here, from Chevy Chase (Woodrow Proctor) leaving the show after a year to pursue Hollywood films to Gilda’s battle with ovarian cancer and the “nerds” Todd and Lisa, played respectively by Dan and Gilda.  One of the highlights of the show is the live band. In addition, there is a great set by set designers Justin and Christopher Swader.

The script by Erik J. Rodriguez and Charles A. Sothers is problematic. Granted, Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Sothers do a fine job of covering the huge amount of material. However, it’s hard to depict the saga of “Saturday Night Live” in just two acts of a stage play. For audience members old enough to remember the legendary TV show’s early days, the story works, but younger audiences may have trouble following the timeline. Those too young to remember John Belushi’s untimely death from a drug overdose (which was huge news at the time) or Gilda Radner losing her cancer battle might feel a bit lost.

Doing justice to iconic characters

Portraying such iconic characters as the original “SNL” ensemble is a tall order indeed. Thanks to good direction by Conor Bagley, no one makes an attempt to portray anyone as a caricature. Everyone in the cast makes a valiant effort to depict these famous comedians with veracity instead of impersonation gimmicks.

Woodrow Proctor does a nice job portraying Chevy Chase, Mr. Bouillion captures the essence of producer Lorne Michaels, Nate Janis is funny playing both Bill Murray and Dick Ebersole. Ryan Crout is often hilarious as John Belushi. Kristian Lugo is in good form as Dan Akroyd, while Caitlin Houlahan as Jane Curtin and Taylor Richardson as Laraine Newman both shine.

The true standout performances are given by Evan Rubin as Gilda Radner and Jared Grimes as Garrett Morris. Ms. Rubin is both uproarious and touching in all the right moments as the tragic Gilda. Mr. Grimes brings the right amount of anger and emotional depth to Garrett, the first person of color on the show.

Not ‘ready’ for everyone

Not Ready for Prime Time would be perfect for a TV miniseries on any streaming service. However, as a stage play, the story is awkward at times and the proceedings sometimes come across as vague and lugubrious. There’s just too much story to tell in such a short time period, but in a different format Prime Time might seem much more “ready” for audiences to enjoy.

Published October 20, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on October 18, 2025

‘NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME’: Taylor Richardson, Evan Rubin & Caitlin Houlahan. Photo: Russ Rowland.

‘NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME’: Jared Grimes & Caitlin Houlahan. Photo: Russ Rowley.

‘NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME’: Jared Grimes & Woodrow Proctor. Photo: Russ Rowley.

‘NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME’: The cast. Photo: Russ Rowley.

‘NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME’: Ryan Crout & Kristian Lugo. Photo: Russ Rowley.

The post ‘Not Ready for Prime Time’: SNL’s beginnings appeared first on StageZine.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele & Ramin Karimloo. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

FUNNY GIRL
Book by Isobel Lennart
Revised by Harvey Fierstein
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Directed by Michael Mayer
Through September 3, 2023
August Wilson Theatre
245 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), funnygirlonbroadway.com

By David NouNou

What a difference a leading lady makes.

From the ridiculous (absurdly miscast) Beanie Feldstein, to the sublime, Lea Michele, Funny Girl has finally received the sensational revival it has always deserved. After the electrifying overture (one of Broadway’s best), and the curtain went up on Beanie Feldstein last year, tedium set in from the onset. Last night, after the electrifying overture and the curtain went up, electricity started crossing the stage in the form of Lea Michele.

The book centers on Brooklyn-born Fanny Brice (Lea Michele) who although wasn’t pretty like a Miss Atlantic City, broke into showbusiness through sheer grit, determination and raw talent. She started in vaudeville at Keeney’s Theatre, where she meets gambler/con artist Nicky Arnstein (Ramin Karimloo), works her way up to be in the Ziegfeld Follies, gets to serenade Nick singing “People,” leaves the Follies to be with Nick, which brings us to the end of Act I and the immortal “Don’t Rain on My Parade”.

It is in Act II where the book becomes mawkish. As Fanny’s stock goes up, Nicky’s goes down. She makes the money; he gets wiped out and ultimately gets thrown in jail for three years for embezzlement. Eventually comes the parting of the ways. With Ms. Feldstein, the second act book was very weak. However, when you have an electrifying Fanny, the flaws of the book were not as noticeable. The score has always been sublime. Whether written as ballads, torch songs or comic relief, the songs that Jule Styne and Robert Merrill wrote tried to showcase Fanny as the great singer/comedian that she was. But as we all know, the songs ultimately showcased Barbra Streisand and now it showcases her most worthy successor, Lea Michele.

After seeing the woefully miscast Funny Girl revival in April 2022, honestly speaking I had no idea at what to expect with Ms. Michele. Admittedly, I saw Barbra Streisand and Sydney Chaplin do Fanny and Nick in 1964 at the Winter Garden Theatre and of course, I was blown away by Ms. Streisand and can’t recall much of Mr. Chaplin.

I can tell you this: You are not going to see another rendition so good for at least another 60 years. Ms. Michele nails the Brooklyn Jewishness that Fanny possessed. She has been given multiple wig changes that if you’ve seen pictures of the actual Fanny Brice, there is a closer resemblance here than even Ms. Streisand could capture. Her singing prowess is Herculean, there are lots of songs for her to sing, and with her big voice, she brings down the house with each one of them, from: “I’m the Greatest Star,” “People,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and the underappreciated “The Music That Makes Me Dance.”  Her final dramatic parting of ways with Nick, and pulling herself together to go out on stage is Fanny/Lea intertwined as one, blows the roof off the theatre.

At our April 2022 performance, Ramin Karimloo was out of the show. The second thrill of the night was seeing Mr. Karimloo. Not only does he have a sublime voice for singing; he can act  and bring nuances to his character, especially as his fortunes begin to falter, and he is sinking financially, by the end you can see the man crumble. That aside, he is gorgeous (pity the real Nicky Arnstein came nowhere close) and wait until the “Sadie, Sadie” number in Act II, and catch a glimpse of that body sculpted by Michelangelo.  Although not sung in the original show, it was written for the movie—the song “You’re a Funny Girl” was sung by Fanny—but here Mr. Karimloo, with his big voice, does a lovely, haunting rendition of it. It was criminal that the Tony committee neglected to nominate him last year in the best musical actor category.

At our performance, Tovah Feldshuh was out that night as Mama Brice and Broadway veteran Liz McCartney ably filled in. Thankfully, Tony nominee Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, Fanny’s choreographer and confidant, is still in the show, slaying the audience with his great tap number in Act I.

The pairing of Lea Michele and Ramin Karimloo is casting heaven. When it came to the start of Fanny and Nick’s relationship and their love scenes together, what was once absurd and laughable in 2022 is now nothing short of watching spontaneous sizzling combustion on stage. Their chemistry together is palpable and the audience is weak-kneed.

In this version, you can actually enjoy Michael Mayer’s direction, and he brings this show to life with Ayodele Casel’s tap choreography and Ellenore Scott’s choreography. Both are noticeable now and they are dazzlers. They all have a purpose now.

What a shame Funny Girl with Lea Michele, and Ramin Karimloo, won’t qualify for this year’s Tonys, as they would surely have won in every category. Don’t wait another 60 years. See Funny Girl now—and you’ll still be talking about it in 60 years.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 1, 2023
Reviewed at February 28, 2023 performance.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Tovah Feldshuh & Jared Grimes. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Lea Michele. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Ramin Karimloo & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

The post ‘Funny Girl’: Lea Michele is the greatest star appeared first on StageZine.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein & Ramin Karimloo. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

FUNNY GIRL
Book by Isobel Lennart
Revised by Harvey Fierstein
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Bob Merrill
Directed by Michael Mayer
August Wilson Theatre
245 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), www.funnygirlonbroadway.com

By David NouNou

There is a reason why Funny Girl hasn’t been revived since its opening in 1964 and her name is Barbra Streisand. Everything about the show was tailor made for Ms. Streisand’s talents, phenomenal voice range and the ability to electrify an audience. By the time she finished her first number in Act I, “I’m the Greatest Star,”  she knew it, we believed it, and it became her anthem.

Funny Girl, along with Hello, Dolly! and later that year, Fiddler on the Roof, were among the last of the big, splashy musicals that were book-heavy. Of the three, Funny Girl has the weakest book and Harvey Fierstein hasn’t improved it any. The book centers on Brooklyn-born Fanny Brice who, although wasn’t pretty like a Miss Atlantic City, broke into show business through sheer grit, determination and raw talent. She started in vaudeville at Keeney’s Theatre, where she meets gambler/con artist Nicky Arnstein, works her way up to be in the Ziegfeld Follies, gets to serenade Nick singing “People,” and leaves the Follies to be with Nick, bringing us to the end of Act I and the immortal “Don’t Rain On My Parade.”

It is in Act II where the book becomes mawkish and lugubrious. As Fanny’s stock goes up, Nicky’s goes down. She makes the money; he gets wiped out and ultimately gets thrown in jail for three years for embezzlement. Eventually comes the parting of the ways. The book is weak, but the score is sublime. Whether written as ballads, torch songs or comic relief, the songs that Jule Styne and Robert Merrill wrote tried to showcase Fanny as the great singer/comedian that she was. But as we all know, the songs ultimately showcased Barbra Streisand.

Now, how can anyone fill such a tall order? Simply put, you can’t. Beanie Feldstein as Fanny gives it a valiant effort but she comes up short for so many reasons. Starting with she lacks the Brooklyn moxie, that energy that comes from struggling from the bottom to reach the top. Her performance doesn’t vary; there is no progression from young Fanny to the adult Fanny. Ms. Feldstein is sweet, energetic, and has a pretty voice but very little range. She doesn’t so much as attack the song as much as the song gets altered to fit her vocal range. Also, she is inconsistent. An example of that is when Nick invites her to dinner when they do the duet “You Are Woman, I Am Man,” there is no romance or sultriness to it; just plain mugging and chewing the scenery, and there is plenty of that. Because Ms. Feldstein has such a cherubic face, it is difficult to see her angry and her fierce bitterness accelerate, so instead you get the kind of performance a high school or college ingenue gives when playing adult roles. Another example of coming up short is the iconic line in the beginning of the show which was slightly altered in the movie: “Hello, Gorgeous.” Ms. Streisand said it like a woman and felt it. Ms. Feldstein uses it as a young ingenue throwaway line, instantly recognizable thanks to Ms. Streisand’s immortalization.

At our performance, Ramin Karimloo was out of the show and Nicky Arnstein was admirably played by Jeremiah James with his devilishly good looks.  If only the real Nick Arnstein had half his looks, it would make sense why Fanny was so crazy for him. Although not a song in the original show, but was written for the movie, the song “You’re a Funny Girl” was sung by Fanny. In this version, Mr. James with his big voice does a lovely, haunting rendition of it.

It’s a great pleasure to see Sophie Lennon from the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, playing Jane Lynch doing Mrs. Brice as an Irish lady, peppering her dialogue with Jewish idioms. Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, Fanny’s choreographer and confidant, has a great tap dance number in Act I.

For me, it is a great pleasure to see such revivals as the magnificently executed and lavish The Music Man and Funny Girl with its brilliant score coming back to life again and finding new audiences.

Hearing a full orchestra playing the entire original score (including songs omitted from the 1968 film adaptation), and the stupendous overture with all those fine crafted tunes strung together, brought tears to my eyes. What a pity they don’t have overtures anymore.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 29, 2022
Reviewed at April 28, 2022 press performance.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: (left to right): Kurt Csolak, Beanie Feldstein & Justin Prescott. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: (left to right): Peter Francis James, Jane Lynch, Jared Grimes, Beanie Feldstein, Ephie Aardema , Debra Cardona, Martin Moran, Toni DiBuono & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein, Jared Grimes & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: (left to right) Debra Cardona, Toni DiBuono, Jane Lynch & Jared Grimes. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Ramin Karimloo & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Jared Grimes & Jane Lynch. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Jared Grimes & Beanie Feldstein. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘FUNNY GIRL’: Beanie Feldstein & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

The post ‘Funny Girl’: Uneven revival of classic appeared first on StageZine.

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: (left to right) Warren Miller, Nnamdi Asomugha & Blair Underwood. Photo: Joan Marcus

A SOLDIER’S PLAY
Written by Charles Fuller
Directed by Kenny Leon
Through March 15, 2020
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

Originally opening Off Broadway in 1981 and winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1982, it is hard to imagine that it has taken almost 40 years for A Soldier’s Play to finally have a Broadway production. However, I must caution that at times the play might seem a bit dated —through no fault of playwright Charles Fuller, but due to Kenny Leon’s heavy-handed direction.

Set in Fort Neal, Louisiana in a segregated U.S. Army barrack in 1944, Captain Richard Davenport (Blair Underwood) has come to the base to investigate the unusual circumstances of the murder of company Sergeant Vernon C. Waters (David Alan Grier). Davenport is there to find out the truth but is met with hostility by not only the white base commander, Captain Charles Taylor (Jerry O’Connell), who would want to make it seem like the Ku Klux Klansmen did it, but also by the black serviceman who served under Waters.

By examining each person in the barracks, Davenport tries to unravel the tangled lives of the men vis-à-vis Waters. First, he has to find out why Waters, who was drunk on the evening of his death, was shot twice and his body found by the river to give credence that the Klansmen would have done this heinous crime. As each soldier presents his story in connection to the murder, Davenport unveils bigotry, self-loathing, death, guilt, and a life of a man who was always trying to obey the law even at the cost of incriminating his own people.

A Soldier’s Play is beautifully written and its framework stands like an Agatha Christie murder whodunit. This is one hell of a powerful play and its themes resonate to this day. It is further aided by the perfect and riveting performances of the entire company, especially by David Alan Grier, who gives a sterling performance as the tormented Waters. Blair Underwood is dauntless and perfectly chiseled (you’ll see in Act II) as the defiant and determined Davenport.

Although most of the men are making their Broadway debuts—Nnamdi Asomugha as Private First Class Melvin Peterson, Billy Eugene Jones as Private James Wilkie, J. Alphonse Nicholson as C.J. Memphis, Jared Grimes as Private Tony Smalls, and McKinley Belcher III as Private Louis Henson— they form a strong, tight-knit ensemble that raises the bar for acting.

Kudos to the Roundabout for having the vision to bring this gem of a play back for its long overdue Broadway debut.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 24, 2020
Reviewed at January 23, 2020 press performance.

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: David Alan Grier. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: (left to right) Rob Demery, J. Alphonse Nicholson & McKinley Belcher III. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: The company. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood & Billy Eugene Jones. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘A SOLDIER’S PLAY’: Jerry O’Connell & Blair Underwood. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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