Several famous actors are looking forward to sharing laughs with an audience when they perform “Celebrity Autobiography Live” at Long Island University’s Tilles Center on Sept. 17.
Long Islanders Susan Lucci and Ralph Macchio, of All My Children and Karate Kid/Cobra Kai fame, respectively, will headline the comedy gig. The concept of the show, created by Emmy nominee Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel, is for comedians to read unintentionally funny excerpts from other celebrities’ autobiographies and memoirs on stage.
“It is quite hilarious, and sometimes you can’t believe what has been written,” Lucci, a Garden City and Hamptons resident, told the Press. “It’s never mean spirited, it’s just because it is funny. The audience has a great time and we on stage have a great time.”
Other performers will include the show’s creators, Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel, Damages and The O.C. actor Tate Donovan, original Saturday Night Live writer Alan Zweibel, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress Caroline Aaron, and Sex And the City actor Mario Cantone, as well as a special cameo by Julia Macchio, star of Flashdance The Musical.
Autobiographies that the performers read have come from a range of worldwide stars, including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, David Hasselhoff, and Dolly Parton. Some of the books’ lines are so outrageous that “you’re reading these autobiographies, and you say, ‘Who let them write this stuff?’” Donovan told the Press.
“It’s a great way to start off our season with a show that will make us all laugh,” said Tom Dunn, executive director of the Tilles Center. “I’ve been a fan of Celebrity Autobiography for years and could not be more excited to host this fantastic show with performers that are hilarious in their own right, and also have special ties to Long Island.”
The comedy show, a unique experience each time it’s brought onstage, has been performed around the world by these actors and others for more than a decade. Lucci recently performed for a sold-out crowd at the Southampton Performing Arts Center, she recalls.
“The audience was doubled over laughing,” Lucci says. “Most actors would agree there’s nothing like live theater and bonding with the audience, and the back-and-forth experience of the laughs is the best thing. And I think everyone is looking for laughs now.”
Celebrity Autobiography Live comes to the Krasnoff Theater at the Tilles Center at LIU on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets and more information are available at tillescenter.org/event/celebrity-autobiography or by calling the Tantleff Box Office at 516-299-3100.
