860

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Ever notice how often headlines announcing the death of some actor you’ve never heard of from a decades-old TV series or film use the go-to word “beloved” to describe them? Such universal usage tends to diminish a word that should be reserved for performers like the very much beloved, and, at a vigorous 78, very much alive Billy Crystal, now romping through 860, his latest one-man show at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre.

So beloved is he, that he can be forgiven for rehashing autobiographical material he’s used before, either in his previous Broadway hit, 700 Sundays, also seen on TV and published as a book, or in one of his many TV specials. Every one of these tales of personal milestones is worth repeating as narrated by this magnetic storyteller. He has woven them together in a narrative, both hilarious and touching, inspired by the 2025 loss to fire of his family home at 860 Chautauqua Boulevard, in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. His and thousands of other homes were devastated in the conflagration.

Crystal, his wife, Janice, followed by their daughters Jenny and Lindsay, had lived there since its purchase in 1979, with a 30-year mortgage. Its pre-Crystal history (and Hollywood celebrity past), its neighborhood, and its acquisition all make for interesting narration.

The show demonstrates powerfully what a home means and what it feels like to tragically lose that anchor of family and stability; it cannot help but yank tears of sympathy, but it also is so funny that you’ll sometimes have to ask yourself if those trickles down your cheeks are from a sense of grief or from unbridled laughter. No matter how serious Crystal’s monologue becomes, he never fails to drop in a comment that will crack you up, even applaud. Somehow, he even manages to get in a zinger or two at Trump’s expense. If you’re a New Yorker, you know exactly how those go over!

The fire and its aftermath become the bookends to an absorbing tale in which Crystal crystallizes his career as a boy from Long Beach, Long Island, who rose to comic stardom with gigs at the legendary comedy club Catch a Rising Star, on TV’s SNL, on TV’s Soap, and so forth, through all the many contributions, like the still terrific movies and hosting the Academy Awards.

Naturally, a life filled with celebrity friends requires he celebrate them, so—often employing his well-known gift for impressions—he reminisces about Mickey Mantle, Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell, Rob Reiner, Ronald Reagan and Robin Williams—much of it enhanced by a wonderful series of video stills and clips. Reiner’s friendship and creative collaboration are especially moving, given his recent passing under horrific circumstances.

Hana S. Kim and Kylee Loera’s video design contributes enormously to the production, lovingly helmed by Scott Ellis, whose pacing and balance of pathos and punchlines couldn’t be better. The images not only reflect on Crystal’s personal and professional life, but provide powerful impressions of the onset of the fires as frightened residents struggled to flee, and of what was left when the flames were gone.

Designer Scott Pask has created a strong impression of Crystal’s original home office, the walls lined with celebrity photos, only for it all to be removed at the end. Jen Schriever’s lighting varies the mood beautifully, never losing focus on the star, and Dan Moses Schreier’s sound design adds greatly to the ambience.

If you’ve followed Crystal’s career you’ll delight in hearing his latest spinning of these stories, like the one where he got one of his first big gigs as the (unbilled) opening act for Blood, Sweat and Tears in Scranton. On the night, lead singer David Clayton Thomas had an emotional fit and refused to perform, forcing Billy (mistakenly announced as “Bobby”) to cover for him by improvising; he did it so well it boosted his career. Whether or not you’ve seen his recreation of the act, it’s worth every penny to see it again. And then there’s his impression of being born…

Billy Crystal comes off just as you’d expect. Dressed in what he might wear to take out the trash, he’s still got the boyish face seen in the many projected images of his younger past, albeit with the addition of some dad-bod features, a neat gray beard, and something gray that may be borrowed on his head. He’s accessible, friendly, appealing, and natural. Billy’s one of us, or at least seems to be, and that’s why he’s entitled to the word “beloved.”

As his Uncle Morris used to say: “Have fun, ‘cause you never know.”

860 (through February 14, 2027)

Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45^th Street, Manhattan

For tickets, call 866-302-0995 or visit https://www.billycrystal860.com/

Running time: 100 minutes without an intermission