Mulaney, a former writer on the show who has returned multiple times to host, kicked things off as a vendor selling hot dogs and heroin in New York in 1975, when the city was more gritty and “SNL” was just starting out.
Pete Davidson and David Spade, former “SNL” cast members, played two new arrivals to what Mulaney dismissed as a “bankrupt hellhole” as he urged them to leave.
However, the “poets and dreamers” refused to go, starting a musical journey through 50 years of New York history set to Broadway numbers. The segment included Adam Driver as a dancing hot dog, Maya Rudolph as a needle full of heroin, Lin-Manuel Miranda reprising his role as Alexander Hamilton in “Hamilton” to roast Kate McKinnon’s return as Rudy Giuliani, Scarlett Johansson as Audrey from “Little Shop of Horrors,” and Nathan Lane with a not-at-all-subtle reference to his role as Timon in “The Lion King.”
The segment also featured Paul Rudd, Kenan Thompson, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, and more, ultimately concluding with their own take on “One More Day” from “Les Miserables.”
