This SNL Experience Is the Ultimate Tour to Take a Look Inside the Magic of Studio 8H
The immersive experience allows SNL fans to play Host — and get a peek at incredible costumes and mementos from the show's 50-season history.
My job as NBC Insider’s Late Night editor involves much more than watching Saturday Night Live clips all day. But the truth is, I do spend a chunk of my time doing just that — and in most cases, it’s more accurate to say I’m rewatching them. I’ve been an SNL super fan since grade school, when I first discovered Season 1 and Season 17 reruns on cable simultaneously. It's how I learned what "syndication" is and I've found something to love about every single season since (all-time favorite sketch, if you're asking: Will Ferrell's "Dr. Beaman's Office: Test Results").
While I've never dreamed about being on the show, per se, I now know what it feels like to be a Host — thanks to the immersive “Live from New York: The SNL Experience,” a joint venture between NBC and NVE Experience Agency. And though the attraction only runs from Thursday, January 30 to Sunday, February 2, every inch of the space is packed with a museum’s worth of thoughtfully-considered details and interactive moments.
"The SNL Experience" made me feel like a Host
I gasped at the SNL history around every corner: Garth and Kat, Matt Foley, and the Spartan Cheerleaders' costumes, on loan from SNL Costume Designer Tom Broecker! A Woomba, Dan Aykroyd's actual Bass-o-Matic, and a box of Colon Blow cereal! A replica of the padded “Watch Your Head” sign on SNL’s set, inscribed with Chris Farley’s last name because the late cast member kept bumping his head on his way offstage!
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You’re taking all of this in as you move briskly through a recreation of Studio 8H's bustling halls, guided by a “stage manager” (one of many very convincing black-clad actors playing SNL crew, all wearing intercom headsets). After strolling past photos of famous sketches and faux dressing room doors boasting Bowen Yang, Kenan Thompson, and Ego Nwodim’s names, our small group was immediately thrown into the frantically-fun chaos of a recreated Studio 8H on Saturday just before midnight.
After grabbing props and posing for our very own photo bumper — the iconic Host headshots with the SNL logo in the corner — our stage-manager guide supportively coached us on how to step through the set's doors to welcome our audience with a big smile and wave. All the glory, without the gut-wrenching pressure of having to deliver a monologue!
Zipping through the home base area packed with paint cans and cue cards, I got to read one and hand it to off to a crew member as they taped "Weekend Update." Bowen Yang's Moo Deng costume sat in a corner as we took turns behind the desk, on which sat a prop cocktail worthy of Michael Che (again, the details were amazing). I had a fun improvised back-and-forth in front of the jokes board about which ones we should cut for time — because why limit yourself to fake Host when you can play fake producer, too?
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The hair and makeup room was a breathtaking moment, displaying the actual wigs worn by Bill Hader's Stefon, Kristen Wiig's Gilly, and many more, including those of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar. Did I mention the room opened into an immaculate model of the "Wayne's World" set?
By the time we'd toasted our success in the Five-Timer's Club lounge — guess our group of six did such an incredible job hosting, we got fast-tracked — the wild ride was over. There was so much to see, hear, and do, it's a credit to NBC and NVE that the experience felt exciting without feeling rushed. "The SNL Experience" truly managed to pack five decades' worth of history into a space as small as the real Studio 8H.
