'SNL' cast performs new material on stage to benefit production crew

NEW YORK -- It wasn't live from New York as usual.

About 150 audience members in a tiny Manhattan theater were the only folks in the world to witness a totally new "Saturday Night Live" episode starring guest host Michael Cera and musical guest Yo La Tengo.

Anyone who tuned into NBC was subjected to a two-week-old rerun featuring Brian Williams and Feist, thanks to an ongoing Writers Guild of America labor strike.

"It was everything that's never been on the show before," cast member Kenan Thompson said after the show. "Sometimes it doesn't get a chance to shine, but it sure shined here."

The "SNL" cast and writers collaborated on staging the special "Saturday Night Live -- On Strike!" event at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre to benefit the behind-the-scenes staff affected by the strike. The live performance was not officially sanctioned by NBC, but "SNL" executive producer Lorne Michaels, who celebrated his 63rd birthday, did attend.

"He came and saw it and laughed a little bit," Thompson said.

The performance included all the trappings of a typical "SNL" episode, such as a host monologue, musical performance, "Weekend Update" news segment and several comedy sketches -- all without any commercial interruption.

"It was a little dirtier than usual," audience member Birch Harms said.

A typical "SNL" episode features about seven sketches, but the cast performed about 15 original sketches during the two-hour event. Thompson said he starred in a sketch called "Hip-Hop Whodunit," a mock game show about solving hip-hop crimes, and also appeared as a French comedian during "Weekend Update."

"They didn't have elaborate costumes or graphics or anything," audience member Risa Sang-urai said. "Sometimes they would explain things or wear wigs. It wasn't anything too elaborate, but you didn't really need it."