Studio 8H is coming to the stage in a new off-Broadway play.
Citing a casting call, Broadway World reports that Not Ready For Prime Time, the long-gestating play set backstage at Saturday Night Live’s early days, is headed to New York City this fall. The production describes itself as “a play about an American institution, run by people who belong in an institution.”
Named after the moniker given to SNL’s troupe of performers upon its premiere in 1975, the play will see actors take on the roles of Lorne Michaels and eight major Not Ready for Prime Time Players: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Bill Murray, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner.
Not Ready For Prime Time is directed by Conor Bagley, and co-written by Erik J. Rodriguez and Charles A. Sothers.
“A 31 year old comedy writer was given control of the 11:30 Saturday night time slot on NBC. What he did with it changed comedic history, but how long could he keep it together?” a synopsis reads. “Witness the wild & crazy journey of nine cultural icons… as they rise to stardom on a new show on Saturday nights in 1975.”
After premiering the play in Miami in 2022, Not Ready For Prime Time held workshop readings in New York in 2023 as they geared up for a run in SNL’s hometown.
Since that time, the SNL origin story has also been covered on film with Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night. While that film covered only the behind-the-scenes goings-on of SNL’s 1975 series premiere, the inclusion of Bill Murray as a character in Not Ready For Prime Time suggests the new play covers a wider timeline.
Broadway World says Not Ready for Prime Time is expected to bow on October 5th, just in time to mark the official 50th anniversary of SNL’s premiere on October 11, 1975. The show is scheduled for a limited run through December 14th at a yet-to-be-announced off-Broadway theater.
