I’d love to share a pastrami sandwich with Billy Crystal. Well, maybe not the kind he had with Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally…, but some truth-telling session to spend more time with one of our greatest comedic storytellers.
Crystal’s new Broadway solo show, 860, named after the Chataquata Boulevard address of the home he shared with his wife and children for 46 years, has plenty of heartache, too. Theirs was one of more than 5,000 homes the 2025 Palisades Fire destroyed.
While Crystal uses the loss of the house and the physical memories it held as a framework for the evening, its most captivating moments unfold in the relationships he built over 50 years in the entertainment industry.
Luck, timing & a lifetime of friendships
If luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, then Crystal has been fortunate on both counts. Framed by Hana S. Kim and Kylee Loera’s unnecessarily fussy video design, which distracts more than it enhances, the actor-writer recounts a lifetime of memories through his archival photos, personal videos, and impeccably timed storytelling.
Crystal grew up on Long Island and broke into stand-up at Catch a Rising Star, a comedy club on the Upper East Side. He got an early break when he was booked to open for Blood, Sweat & Tears, and the band’s moody frontman at the time, David Clayton-Thomas, stormed offstage. Crystal stepped in to fill the gap, and the crowd loved him.
That only scratches the surface of what follows, including remembrances of lifelong friendships and losses, among them Robin Williams and Rob Reiner. He also honors personal heroes like Mickey Mantle and Muhammad Ali, who always welcomed Crystal with open arms. (Ali called him “little brother.”)
His stories eventually shift like the Santa Ana winds that destroyed so many lives as fire spread uncontrollably throughout the Pacific Palisades. But despite the devastating loss, laughter survived. And without giving away any spoilers, in more ways than one.
Longtime fans will adore his fast-paced trek down memory lane. And those unfamiliar with Crystal’s work should make a date at the Imperial Theatre. You’ll want what he’s having.
It wants better content.
Is ‘Billy Crystal 860’ worth seeing?
Even when the busy video design competes for the spotlight, Billy Crystal’s 860 proves that a born storyteller can sift through a lifetime of loss and still find the laugh in every room.
- Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45th Street, New York City
- Notable performer: Billy Crystal
- Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission
- Performances through January 3, 2027
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