Billy Crystal News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Happy Friday! Close out another week by catching up on the latest Broadway news!

Join Lily Tomlin, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish, Ruth Buzzi, Billy Crystal and many more as Hollywood pays tribute to Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present the 22nd annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Dave Chappelle on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The Prize, which is named to honor one of the world's greatest humorists, will be given at a gala performance featuring some of the biggest names in comedy. The program will be broadcast on PBS stations on January 6, 2020. On-sale and ticketing information for this event will be available at a later date, and sponsorship packages for the Mark Twain Prize gala performance are on sale now.

The Ogunquit Playhouse 2019 season kicks off with Jersey Boys! The multi-Tony Award-winning, international sensation that performed to sold-out houses during its run in 2018, is back by popular demand May 15 through June 15. The cast that BroadwayWorld exclaimed to be "the closest you'll ever get to having seen Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons," also returns to the Ogunquit stage - Jonathan Mousset (Frankie Valli), Matt Magnusson (Tommy DeVito), Andy Christopher (Bob Gaudio), and Matthew Amira (Nick Massi).

The Paley Center for Media today announced that it will honor the LGBTQ+ community, and the television series that broke barriers, shattered stereotypes, and brought audiences together at The Paley Honors: Tribute to LGBTQ+ Achievements in Television on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall. This momentous occasion will take place at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan on May 15, 2019, at 6:30 pm.

Jason Robert Brown has been hailed as one of Broadway's smartest and most sophisticated songwriters. In fact, The Chicago Tribune referred to his work as 'extraordinary, jubilant theater music.' But Brown, who wrote the book and score for THE LAST FIVE YEARS and the music and lyrics for the stage adaptation of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, as well as the music and lyrics for PARADE for which he won the 1999 Tony Award, isn't one to pontificate. In fact, he says, it's all about looking ahead. 'I think I'm just running forward,' he says. 'There's more work to do.'

Netflix's Still LAUGH-IN: The Stars Celebrate, a 50th anniversary tribute to Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In will launch globally on the streaming service on Tuesday, May 14th.  

Billy Crystal has his sights set on Broadway! According to Variety, the stage and screen veteran is at work on a musicalized version of his 1992 film, Mr. Saturday Night.  "It's a great character and now I don't need the makeup!" Crystal told Variety. "It's coming along very well. The funny is always there but the depth and the humanity is even stronger, based on what we learned from the reaction to the movie over the years."

Being a comedian is no joke. Ask Brad Zimmerman who spent 29 years waiting tables in New York City while chasing a career in acting and comedy. Brad brings the story of his tumultuous struggle to fulfill his dream and 'make it' as a comedic actor in New York City to the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum for six performances beginning May 2, 2019 through May 5, 2019.  My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy is one part standup, one part theatrical, and all parts uproarious. Just add seltzer.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman will reprise their beloved roles as Mike and Sulley in 'Monsters At Work,' a new animated series for families set to premiere on Disney+ in 2020. Produced by Disney Television Animation and inspired by the world of Disney and Pixar's Academy Award-winning 'Monsters, Inc.,' the series picks up six months after the original movie's story, with the Monsters, Inc. power plant now harvesting the laughter of children to fuel the city of Monstropolis, thanks to Mike and Sulley's discovery that laughter generates ten times more energy than screams.

It's no secret to anyone that the shows we see on Broadway right now are constantly evolving and changing more than ever before, with even more movies and TV shows being turned into Broadway musicals and plays thus becoming major hits. However, there is another end to this evolution.

The new comedy musical, Tootsie begins performances on Broadway tonight, March 29th, with an opening night of Tuesday, April 23rd. Get to know the cast below as they begin Broadway performances!

BroadwayWorld has just learned that three Broadway favorites are set to bring The Princess Bride to life onstage. A Disney Theatrical spokesperson has confirmed that that David Yazbek (Tootsie, The Band's Visit) will write the score, and Bob Martin (The Prom) and Rick Elice (The Cher Show) will co-write the book for the new musical.

Crystal made his Broadway debut in 2004 with his autobiographical hit show, 700 Sundays. which earned him a 2005 Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event. After a smash record-breaking debut, Crystal brought the show back to Broadway's Imperial Theatre in 2013 for a sold-out limited nine-week run, which was filmed and presented by HBO.

GKIDS, the acclaimed distributor of multiple Academy Award®-nominated animated features, and Fathom Events are proud to continue their collaboration and deliver celebrated animated films to U.S. movie theaters throughout the year with STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2019.

The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, today unveiled its feature film lineup. Continuing its tradition of elevating exceptional storytelling rooted in today's global film communities, the 18th annual Festival will showcase debut works from emerging talent and new works from notable filmmakers. The program includes discoveries, comedies, music-centered, political and social films. The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 24 - May 5.  

The stars align on March 8th, 2019 at Hollywood's Dolby theater for Still LAUGH-IN: The Stars Celebrate, a 50th anniversary tribute to Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.  The series, which spanned from 1968-1973, won two Emmy Awards at the helm of its legendary director/producer George Schlatter, who will also be attendance as his groundbreaking series is honored throughout the night.

Deadline reports that the 2019 Oscars will be remembered for being host-less, which it is believed gave the ratings a much-needed bounce. 

Producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss today announced 11 key members of the production team for the 91st Oscars, which will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, on ABC. It was previously announced that Weiss would be returning as director for his fourth consecutive year, while sharing producing duties with Gigliotti for the first time.