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PrintThe sometimes self-indulgent tales of celebrities -- whether A-list or D-list -- often warrant groans and eye-rolls, maybe even an abrupt change of TV channels.
But the raw wit and simple approach of "Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words" finds an audience entertained by such stories, like Vanna White lamenting the challenges she faces on "Wheel of Fortune" or Tommy Lee offering crass relationship advice.
The show on City Theatre's Lester Hamburg stage features a talented rotating cast that reads verbatim from an array of celebrities' memoirs and writing collections. "Celebrity Autobiography," which runs here through mid-July, has been a sold-out off-Broadway show and has branched out to cities such as Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.
The diverse performers are in step with the show, which keenly draws from a wide breadth of celebrity accounts -- it tartly features both the glamorous and the trashy, the famous and the pseudo-famous.
The readings vary depending on the night of the show, but one can expect to hear passages such as "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff's breathless account of appearing on Broadway (performed by Michael Fuller); TV star Suzanne Somers' inane poetry about life and love, such as "The Quiet Loneliness of Being Alone" and "Two Week Love" (performed by Annie Golden); Tiger Woods' seemingly benign yet double entendre-laden description of putting a golf ball (performed by "Celebrity Autobiography" co-creator and developer Eugene Pack); and "Taxi" star Marilu Henner's bizarre sexual interests (performed by Dayle Reyfel, another creator and developer of the show).
In addition to monologues, the show also throws together scenes that draw from varying accounts on the same incident, such as the famous love triangle between Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor.
Sometimes the memoirs are so outrageously shallow and pompous that the cast members can rely simply on the texts themselves for the entertainment value.
Where: City Theatre???s Lester Hamburg Studio, South Side.
When: Through July 12. Dates, times and cast members vary, check citytheatrecompany.org.
Tickets: Tickets: $35 to $40; citytheatrecompany.org or 412-431-2489.
Yet the performers make the words entertaining on a deeper level, bringing these accounts to life through keen comedic timing and serious consideration of their characters. The texts read coldly might bring a laugh, but the performers -- many of whom who have worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, film or comedy productions -- make the words crackle and, at times, leave the audience laughing hysterically.
Enmeshed with this humor lies a socially critical lens that avoids flattery and revels in parody; more precisely, the show offers a refreshing antidote to a culture that deifies celebrities. And as we laugh, we might even be laughing at our own complicity, since we as consumers have, in a sense, allowed these books to be published.
Notable cast members include Lee Meriwether, who played Catwoman in the 1966 "Batman" TV series; Anthony Rapp, who appeared in the original Broadway and movie production of "Rent"; and Pittsburgher Lenora Nemetz, who has appeared in various Broadway and off-Broadway productions.
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