Celebrity Autobiography ★★★★

Celebrity Autobiography is the first production of the 2026-2027 Broadway season, an unlikely but charming arrival for a niche show that was originally produced at the Triad Theatre before making its way around the country and eventually heading overseas to London, Edinburgh, and Sydney. It’s unlikely that creators and directors Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel ever envisioned that their clever brainchild would one day return to New York and land at the Shubert Theatre, mere blocks away from dramatic heavyweights like Giant and Death of a Salesman, but here it is, a delightful divertissement perfect for the coming summer months.

Initially inspired by the inanities found in Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White’s 1987 memoir Vanna Speaks, the concept is simple but clever: a curated collection of unintentionally hilarious excerpts from a wide range of people who are famous for their accomplishments other than writing, performed by a rotating cast of bold-face names from television, stage and film. A few pieces are performed solo, but most are duets or group mash-ups based on themes, genres and romantic chaos, where differing perspectives are given of the same event, a Rashomon of the ridiculous.

As is the case with any comedy revue that’s got such a gleeful grab bag of content, not all the material works equally well, but because the various set-ups whiz by, the audience is never stuck on any one section of mockery for too long. The variety is impressive — Neil Sadaka one moment, Pamela Anderson the next, followed later by Celine Dion — even if some of the names likely now skew a bit old for anyone under 50, such as Eddie Fisher, Joe Namath, and Ethel Merman.

All of the performers have great moments, and their joie de vivre is infectious. Standouts on the night of the reviewed performance included Nia Vardalos as Khloé Kardashion describing her experiences in gym-going, Mario Cantone as Liza Minnelli the night she almost hooked up with Geraldo Rivera at Studio 54, Andrea Martin as Kris Jenner explaining her philosophy of mothering, Jeff Hiller as Cher discussing what snack foods she loves, and, in a section called “Celebrity Poetry Corner” (“Some celebrities are poets too”), Jackie Hoffman reading the magical verse of Suzanne Somers.

Some theatergoers may find the evening too slight for Broadway (the set is basically six stand-up mics, with a small table of books in the background), and to be sure, this show was conceived for and likely plays best in smaller, more intimate venues. But laughs are most welcome these days, and thus so is this show.

The cast changes night to night, and no doubt surprises will also be popping in from time to time, so check out the show’s website to see who’s performing on any given night. Future performers already announced include Billy Porter, Matthew Broderick, Danny Burstein, Katie Couric, Ken Jeong, Susan Lucci, Ralph Macchio, Gayle King, Tony Shalhoub, as well as Saturday Night Live favorites past and present, including Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, Chloe Fineman, Bobby Moynihan, and Kenan Thompson.