This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

One of the most recognized works from the 70s in Mormondom is Saturday's Warrior, selling out 134 consecutive shows back in the day in Spanish Fork and Salt Lake City. When the stage production ended, fans found themselves nostalgic for the "feelings of forever" that came with the musical.

Fast forward 42 years, nearly 2,000 rabid fans were on hand on March 30 to experience the world premiere of the feature film adaptation of Saturday’s Warrior. A cultural phenomenon after its debut as a stage musical in the early 1970s, Lex de Azevedo, the creator of the original musical, resisted the call to create a film version of Saturday’s Warrior for decades.

“It wasn’t until a few years ago that the time finally felt right to adapt the stage musical into a movie,” said de Azevedo. Then, according to de Azevedo, the feeling grew and grew into a personal mission for him to introduce Saturday’s Warrior to new generations of fans.

In high demand

Based on ticket sales to the premiere screenings and the crowd’s reaction that evening, de Azevedo’s sentiments are echoed by many, many people. Even before its official opening on Friday, April 1, Saturday’s Warrior set multiple box office records on its premiere night.

“We were hoping to sell out a couple screens at Jordan Commons for the premiere night,” remarked de Azevedo. “But based on the incredible response from fans, we kept adding more and more theatres to satisfy the demand.”

Saturday’s Warrior sold out five theatres at Jordan Commons with demand for more theatres to be available. For more than 1,500 fans who were fortunate enough to attend the premiere, it was a night they will never forget.

A happy reunion

In addition to the creators, cast and crew of the new film, the event was a reunion of sorts for cast members of the original Southern California stage production, the original Utah casts, as well as the cast members of the 1980’s video version.

Courtesy of Saturday's Warrior

“It was amazing to see all the different generations of Saturday’s Warrior actors and singers together in the same place,” said Julie Marks of Bountiful. “Saturday’s Warrior has had such a profound effect on me throughout my life, and it was an absolute dream come true to see so many of the people who are part of those memories.”

Even though there have been many different versions of Saturday’s Warrior produced throughout the past 40 years, those in attendance at the film’s premiere proclaimed it was definitely worth the wait. Others remarked how much they enjoyed the film adaptation and the addition of the new songs by de Azevedo.

“Seeing the reaction of the fans was pretty overwhelming,” said Michael Buster, director of Saturday’s Warrior. “I thought we had something pretty special on our hands, but now I’m convinced of it.”

Take part

Saturday’s Warrior opens in Utah movie theaters on Friday, April 1 and will expand to additional theaters in Utah on Friday, April 8. The film will then release in other cities throughout the coming weeks and months.

“We’ve had requests already from throughout the country to play the film,” remarked de Azevedo. “As word spreads about the film, we expect those demands to increase exponentially.”

Kenny Holland, Lex de Azevedo, Michael Buster, Alex Boye | Courtesy of Saturday's Warrior

For more information on Saturday’s Warrior or to request the movie open in your hometown, visit its Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/saturdayswarrior.

×