What Billy Crystal's 860 Opening Shows About Star-Led Solo Runs on Broadway

Billy Crystal's one-man show 860 is set to open on Broadway on Oct. 21, 2026, at the Imperial Theatre. Crystal wrote the show and performs it alone. The engagement is limited to 14 weeks and ends on Jan. 3, 2027.

The show is autobiographical. It draws on Crystal's memories of the Pacific Palisades home he lost in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Its dates, creative team and the published costs of Broadway musicals show how a star-led solo show fits into the market.

Previews, Opening Night and the 14-Week Run

Broadway.com gives Oct. 1, 2026 as the date performances begin and Oct. 21 as opening night, a span of about three weeks. BroadwayWorld, on Oct. 11, describes the show as in previews, with opening set for Oct. 21.

The engagement was announced on June 15, 2026. It plays the Imperial Theatre through Jan. 3, 2027, and Broadway.com and Broadway News both give that end date. The published run is described as 14 weeks. Counted from the Oct. 1 start to the Jan. 3 end date, the span is about 13 weeks and three days. Broadway.com's listing shows tickets from $91.41.

The production is a one-man show, with Crystal performing alone.

The Palisades Fire Behind the Title

The show draws on his memories of losing his Pacific Palisades home in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Crystal wrote the show, and Scott Ellis directs it. The set recreates the home office.

Broadway.com describes the themes as family, friendship, love, luck and loss. It says the show reflects on how the power of laughter can overcome even the hardest of times.

Crystal also spoke about the deaths of his close friend Rob Reiner and Reiner's wife, Michele, in December 2025. BroadwayWorld reports that Reiner helped him choose the title.

In an interview with Tracy Smith for CBS News Sunday Morning, reported by BroadwayWorld, Crystal said laughter is a healer and that when life gets tough, all you can do is laugh. He said performing 860 has already helped him process his losses. He is 78.

Crystal also said he feels good and is optimistic about the future. He said he would be okay even if he did not get to perform it.

Creative Team and Producers

Scott Ellis directs the production. Broadway.com identifies Ellis as Interim Artistic Director of Roundabout Theatre Company and an Olivier Award winner. Ellis's Broadway credits include Fallen Angels, Doubt, Take Me Out, She Loves Me, On the Twentieth Century, Curtains and Twelve Angry Men.

Marc Shaiman provides original music and adaptations. Scott Pask designed the scenery, Jen Schriever the lighting, Dan Moses Schreier the sound, and Hana S. Kim and Kylee Loera the video. Davin De Santis is production stage manager, according to BroadwayWorld.

BroadwayWorld lists the producers as Janice Crystal, James L. Nederlander, Larry Magid and Face Productions.

Crystal's Solo Work and Broadway Record

Crystal is a Tony and Emmy Award winner, known for films including When Harry Met Sally..., City Slickers, Analyze This and The Princess Bride. He was also a cast member of Saturday Night Live.

His Broadway debut came in 2004 with the solo show 700 Sundays, which won a Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event. The production was released as an HBO special that earned four Emmy nominations. BroadwayWorld describes 700 Sundays as his Tony-winning autobiographical solo show about his childhood and his late father. It describes 860 as Crystal's return to autobiographical solo storytelling more than two decades after 700 Sundays.

His most recent Broadway appearance was in Mr. Saturday Night in 2022. That musical is an adaptation of his 1992 film and earned five Tony nominations, including Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Crystal.

What Broadway Costs Set the Frame

In an ABC7 New York report, Julie James, program director of SiriusXM On Broadway, put the cost of mounting an average Broadway musical above $20 million. Weekly operating costs approach $1 million. James said the cost of producing a Broadway musical has roughly doubled over the past decade.

James also gave a hypothetical. James said that a show with almost $1 million in weekly operating costs that made $1 million and played to 94% capacity only broke even.

James's figures describe an average Broadway musical rather than any specific production.

Drew Shade, founder of Broadway Black, told ABC7 that celebrity casting has become a more common strategy and that the shows that have sold have included celebrities. James said many producers feel pressure to attach stars to projects.

Shade argued that heavy reliance on celebrity appeal can come at the expense of investing in emerging talent and original storytelling. Shade said the issue can be fixed if the theatre community is willing to address it.

Limited Runs and the Closing Calendar

ABC7 also cites Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a Tony Award-winning revival that announced it will close Aug. 8, four months after opening. The closure was a surprise, despite strong reviews, strong attendance and three Tony wins.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said the state of Broadway "breaks my heart" and warned that it has become increasingly difficult for new or daring work to originate on Broadway.

For 860, the published end date is Jan. 3, 2027. Opening night, set for Oct. 21, is about 10 weeks before that date.