Celebrity Autobiography

My first visit to the brilliant CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY at the Triad on 72nd St was a joy. A packed house, I was squeezed into the crowd on an extra chair and of course the man next to me immediately said "I know who you are, I've seen PRISCILLA 15 times." Unbelievable.

Delicious Craig Bierko read from "Don't Hassle the Hoff", a chapter detailing David Hasselhoff's Broadway debut in JEKYLL & HYDE.  He asked the stage manager to remind him which character he was playing each time he made an entrance (because he'd only had FIVE weeks rehearsal).

Co-creator Alan Zweibel read from "Here's the Situation", written by the six-packed star of JERSEY SHORE. The chapter was his failed attempt to join the "Mile High Club".

The magnificent Susie Essman from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" portrayed a scarily accurate Ethel Merman.

followed by the hilarious Mario Cantone giving us Susan Lucci finally winning the Emmy Award after seven nominations.

Co-creator Dayle Reyfel gave us Diana Ross and the night her 1983 concert in Central Park was rained out.

Florence Henderson gave us another JERSEY SHORE alumni, Snookie

Co-creator Eugene Pack was brilliant as Ricky Martin whose friends know him as "Kiki"

Alan Zweibel read from Geraldo Rivera's account of his many strange aborted sexual encounters with Liza Minnelli, as Mario Cantone embodied the lady herself. Truly uproarious.

Pack, Cantone, Essman and Henderson read a "mash up" of desperately boring diet hints from Neil Sedaka, Dolly Parton, Cher and Streisand, and then the grand finale, a "Roshomon"-like retelling of the Elizabeth Taylor/Eddie Fisher/Richard Burton/Debbie Reynolds affair performed by the entire cast.

I hear there are moves afoot at the Sydney Theatre Company to present an Australian version of this concept. They'll have their work cut out for them but I'm sure it would be a smash.