Billy Crystal News

Filmmaker Robert Townsend has truly had a singular career ever since coming to prominence with his groundbreaking 1987 film a?oeThe Hollywood Shuffle.a?? That satirical comedy about Black actors dealing with racial stereotypes in the film and TV industry was famously self-financed by Townsend maxing out his credit cards. Perhaps even more remarkably, he has successfully maintained simultaneous careers over the ensuing decades as an actor, director, writer and producer working in both film and TV, narratives and documentaries, with the occasional mockumentary thrown in for good measure. Along the way, he has worked with a virtual galaxy of stars - Beyoncé, James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman to name just a few a?" while surviving the inevitable ups and downs of a career in show business. Townsend is now returning to his roots as a stage performer with his solo show a?oeLiving the Shufflea?? at The Marsh Berkeley.

A lineup of leading performers, including yasiin bey, Neal Brennan, Common, Bradley Cooper, Morgan Freeman, Tiffany Haddish, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Lorne Michaels, Trevor Noah, Q-Tip, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Frédéric Yonnet, and others will salute Dave Chappelle at the 22nd annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 8 p.m.

The critically-acclaimed National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) production of Fiddler on the Roof, in Yiddish with English Supertitles, will play its final performance on Sunday, January 5, 2020.

On this day we celebrate legendary composer of stage and screen, the great Marc Shaiman!

The New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) announced its first annual Hungry for Laughs event - a night showcasing the talent of New York City's top chefs and comedians, highlighted by a performance by Randy Rainbow, in support of the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC).

A lineup of leading performers, including Neal Brennan, Bradley Cooper, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Lorne Michaels, Q-Tip, Trevor Noah, Jon Stewart, and others will salute Dave Chappelle at the 22nd annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 8 p.m. The program will pay tribute to the humor and accomplishments of Chappelle.

Deadline reports that Tony winner Laura Benanti has joined the cast of Billy Crystal's 'Here Today,' also starring Tiffany Haddish, actress/playwright Anna Deavere Smith, and Nyambi Nyambi. 'Gossip Girl' actor Penn Badgley also joined the cast today.

Amanda Green (and guests) return to Birdland with a lively look at the composer's past and future projects.

Walton Goggins, star of 'The Unicorn,' tells Stephen about his first acting job which landed him in the deleted scenes of the Billy Crystal movie 'Mr. Saturday Night.' Watch the clip below!

Hot off its critically acclaimed, sold-out Los Angeles and Off-Broadway engagements, the Chicago premiere of a?oeI'm Not a Comedian...I'm Lenny Brucea?? will come to the Royal George Cabaret Theatre (1641 N. Halsted) Oct. 23 a?" Dec. 1, with the press performance scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Directed by multi award-winning actor and director Joe Mantegna and produced in partnership with Lenny Bruce's daughter Kitty Bruce, a?oeI'm Not A Comedian...I'm Lenny Brucea?? was written by and stars Ronnie Marmo and brilliantly chronicles the life and death of the most controversial comedian of all time. For tickets and more information, please visit LennyBruceOnStage.com. 

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen's global media company Entertainment Studios, is proud to announce that the documentary BETHANY HAMILTON: UNSTOPPABLE will be released on all home entertainment platforms in the U.S., as well as on iTunes worldwide, on October 15th, 2019. BETHANY HAMILTON: UNSTOPPABLE was released in theaters nationwide by Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, the theatrical distribution division of Entertainment Studios, on July 12th, 2019 and had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. 

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios, has acquired the domestic rights to the new spiritual drama IMMORTAL HERO. Directed by Hiroshi Akabane and starring Hisaaki Takeuchi, Yoshiko Sengen, Tamao Sato, and Kei Kinoshita, IMMORTAL HERO is based on the original story by Executive Producer Ryuho Okawa and adapted to the screen by his daughter, Sayaka Okawa. IMMORTAL HERO will make its world premiere at the 2019 San Diego International Film Festival in the narrative competition category on October 16, 2019 at the Theatre Box, followed by a theatrical release on October 18th.

Berkshire Theatre Group is thrilled to present one of the longest running one-man shows in Broadway history, Steve Solomon's My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm In Therapy at The Colonial Theatre on Saturday, October 12 at 8pm. Tickets are A: $45 and B: $25.

Billy Crystal, who has a new mobile app called 'Roast 'Em,' stopped by 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' to remember some wild times at Friars Club roasts in the good-old-days. Watch the clip below!

Audible today announced that it will record the Broadway hit Sea Wall/A Life, starring Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and Tony Award nominee Tom Sturridge, two of the finest actors of their generation, as an Audible Original production, to be made available for millions of listeners globally in the coming months.

The wait is finally over for the 10th anniversary of United Solo. With its most ambitious lineup yet, United Solo will once again unite solo performers from six continents in the heart of New York's theatre district. Over 130 productions will be presented at this year's United Solo, the largest festival of its kind in the world, celebrating its first decade of taking solo theatre to new heights. With up to five performances each day until November 24 at Theatre Row, this year's robust selection of one-person shows will attract thousands of theatregoers. Over 20 performances have sold out in advance, with more expected to follow. The festival will grant additional performance dates to its most popular productions. In addition to performances, United Solo also offers Master Classes with world-famous theatre creators and recognized experts, including acclaimed director Austin Pendleton, who will give his Master Class on October 8, with more Master Classes to follow.

Today's top stories: The Devil Wears Prada sets its pre-Broadway engagement, Kristin Chenoweth will return to Broadway with her solo show, and more!

From stage to screen, Broadway will be represented on TV for the week of September 16, 2019!

United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, is proud to present the nominees of the 2019 United Solo Special Award. The Special Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding solo performers. These are artists who create captivating performances outside the United Solo Festival and have brought the art of solo theatre to new heights. It is United Solo's mission to provide a platform to solo artists who are committed to creating solo theatre that focuses on the uniqueness of the human being. These artists have pushed the boundaries of solo theatre in unique ways and the Special Award will honor an artist whose work in the last year deserves particular recognition. Previous recipients of the Special Award include Anna Deavere Smith (2010), Patti LuPone (2011), John Leguizamo (2012), Fiona Shaw (2013), Billy Crystal (2014), James Lecesne (2015), Staceyann Chin (2016), Michael Moore (2017), and Renée Taylor (2018).

On Friday, August 30, the theatre community lost dramaturg Robert Blacker, who passed away suddenly at the age of 71. Longtime collaborator Des McAnuff, who worked with Blacker at La Jolla Playhouse and Stratford Shakespeare Festival, writes a tribute to his friend below: