Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | June 1, 2026
Performers on Saturday Night Live do not get enough credit. They’re putting on a show on live television that was constructed over a few days and changes constantly, sometimes right up until the last minute. Yes, they will often look at the cue cards, but a lot of that is due to the changes. And yes, sometimes, they’re tasked with delivering a broad punchline or setup, but, at any moment, they could be called upon to sing and/or dance, deliver dramatic monologues, or talk to Rob Schneider. It’s all hard!
It’s also arguable that the skills gained on SNL don’t always translate well. There are plenty of cast members who have gone on to see massive success in the industry, but there are also many who have more or less disappeared after leaving the show. Finding work can be hard for anyone, and you’d hope that appearing on the show would open more doors for more opportunities, but that is far from a guarantee. That said, and keeping in mind that there will be competition no matter where you try to go afterward, there are venues more suited for supremely talented multi-hyphenates.
So, it’s not particularly surprising that a trio of SNL legends is currently making waves on Broadway stages, but that doesn’t make me any less thrilled. Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, and Ana Gasteyer are currently appearing in Rocky Horror, Oh, Mary!, and Schmigadoon (respectively), with all three leaving their mark on the shows. Dratch and Gasteyer have both received Tony nominations for their work, while Rudolph broke box office records with her debut.
The three even got to sit down for a discussion about it recently with THR, the mere idea of which brought a smile to my face. Rudolph, Gasteyer, and Dratch were some of the funniest people I got to see growing up. Their SNL reruns would play on my TV constantly (thanks, ghost of Comedy Central). To see them get their flowers like this makes me deliriously happy. They mention in the interview that they haven’t gotten to celebrate together yet, and I hope when they do, it is as big a party as such an occasion would call for.
And look, not every SNL cast member is going to be a Dratch, Gasteyer, or Rudolph, but I do think the potential is there. They have to draw from a similar set of skills. They go through the same kind of fire. Why not take that training and apply it to Broadway (he asked, as if such a thing could be done as easily as breathing)?
