INTERVIEW: Eugene Pack Speaks About Upcoming “Celebrity Autobiography” At Guild Hall

On Friday, August 26th, Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel will present their annual Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words performance at Guild Hall in East Hampton at 7 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m.

This year’s performers will include Christie Brinkley, Dick Cavett, Tovah Feldshuh, Colin Jost, Richard Kind, Susan Lucci, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Brooke Shields, Alan Zweibel and more.

Emmy award nominated writer and performer, Eugene Pack, thought of the idea after stumbling upon Vanna White’s autobiography, Vanna Speaks. As he read through it, the small details about how sometimes she had difficulty flipping panels on national television stuck with him. He believed it would be incredibly amusing to have celebrities read from other celebrity autobiographies on stage in front of an audience. Thus, the comedy show was born.

“We like to keep it fresh, and see what’s new out there, what audiences want to hear, and who they want to hear about,” Pack explained. “And then what we really love to do is figure out who is in the show and who would be best reading what. We try to match the biographies to be opposite of what you would expect from the performers.” Autobiographies written by Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Kris Jenner, and many more will be featured.

An astonishing amount of work goes into putting on such a show. Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, and their creative team must choose which autobiographies will be read from, which excerpts will be read, and who will read them. Though it requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work, there are limited rehearsals. Most of what happens on stage is all natural and free-flowing.

For Pack, it is the minuscule facts within the books that make for great show material, whether it be Dolly Parton’s comments about her diet or Tiger Woods’ description of hitting golf balls.

Actress Susan Lucci with creator of the show, Eugene Pack, (Photo: Tom Kochie)

Performing at Guild Hall is a unique experience for celebrity entertainers. Many participants, including Christie Brinkley, Susan Lucci, and Richard Kind, are no strangers to the Hamptons, and find themselves here throughout the summer. Pack said that Celebrity Autobiography is a special opportunity for the pair to work with celebrities that they have always wanted to work with “and they get to work with them for the first time at this off-beat comedy setting, which is like a party backstage.”

“The audiences are really looking for a great time, and they are smart audiences too. It’s the perfect show that you can have this great, diverse group of people in the audience for,” says Pack. “It’s the end of summer and people are really looking to be entertained, and to escape. Guild Hall is run by really great people and the atmosphere is loose and relaxed. You can tell that people want to laugh and have a great time, and we are ready to deliver that.”

Guests can look forward to a few surprises for this special Hamptons performance. Pack revealed plans to perform mash-ups – including one that features Ivana Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump’s autobiographies – as well as readings from none other than celebrity dogs’ autobiographies. Additionally, performers will be reading from each other’s autobiographies. This show is sure to be a hit for those who love pop culture, comedy, classic novels, and an all-around good time.

Tickets to Celebrity Autobiography at Guild Hall begin at $40 and $38 for members.

Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street in East Hampton. For more information, and to buy tickets to the performance, visit www.guildhall.org.