Billy Crystal Brings 700 Sundays to Chicago November 2005

Broadway In Chicago announces today that Billy Crystal will bring 700 SUNDAYS, his 2005 Tony Award-winning Broadway blockbuster to Chicago for a limited engagement at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) from November 8-20, 2005. 700 SUNDAYS, a play performed and written by Mr. Crystal with additional content by Alan Zweibel is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff.

2005-2006 Broadway In Chicago Season Ticket Holders will receive priority access beginning Friday, August 19. To take advantage of this priority offer, 2005-2006 Season subscription packages may still be purchased through August 23 by calling toll-free (877) 890-0174. Priority access is also available to groups of 20 or more by calling (312) 977-1710.

700 SUNDAYS, an autobiographical journey, is an original two-act play in which Billy plays numerous characters that have influenced who he is today. It deals with his youth, growing up in the jazz world of Manhattan, his teenage years, and finally adulthood. It is about family and fate.

In its opening week on Broadway, 700 SUNDAYS broke the house record for highest weekly gross at the Broadhurst Theatre and then continued to top its own record every week. The week ending May 22, 2005, marked the highest grossing week, not only for the Broadhurst Theatre, but also for any non-musical production in Broadway history, taking in $1,061,688 at the box office. The show won the 2005 Tony Award for Special Theatrical Experience and both the 2005 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance.

"This show has been the greatest professional experience of my life and the audiences have been fantastic. It was great to be part of the Broadway community and now I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share this with audiences in Chicago. I so loved the experience of performing live on Broadway and getting close to an audience that I'm thrilled to be able to perform for the rest of the country. I can't get enough of this," said Billy Crystal.

Produced by Janice Crystal, Larry Magid and Face Productions, 700 SUNDAYS has scenic design by David F. Weiner, lighting design by David Lee Cuthbert, projection design by Michael Clark and sound design is by Steve Canyon Kennedy.

700 SUNDAYS will play Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St) from November 8-20, 2005. 2005-2006 Broadway In Chicago Season Ticket Holders will receive priority access beginning Friday, August 19. To take advantage of this priority offer, 2005-2006 Season subscription packages may still be purchased through August 23 by calling toll-free (877) 890-0174. Priority access is also available to groups of 20 or more by calling (312) 977-1710.

BIOGRAPHIES

Billy Crystal (Playwright/Performer) has created one of the most versatile and prolific careers in the entertainment industry, finding success in front of the camera, as a performer in film and television, and behind the scenes as a writer, director and producer. His father, Jack, produced concerts by the era's great jazz performers, including the legendary Billie Holiday. It was exposure to these great stars that helped Crystal develop a knack for stand-up comedy, incorporating his gifts for mimicry and satire, as well as his ability to create enduring characters who are funny, human, and touching. After touring with such stars as Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Neil Sedaka, and Sha Na Na, he became a regular on the popular series "Soap" playing the first openly gay character on a network television series. During the 1984-85 television season, Billy met with phenomenal national success on "Saturday Night Live." Along with fellow performers like Christopher Guest and Martin Short, he created many memorable characters and catch lines, including his classic imitation of Sammy Davis, Jr., Fernando ("You look mahvelous!") and Willie the Masochist, who would hurt himself and then claim, "I hate it when that happens." In recent years he has moved between successes on television and film. He created, wrote and produced the critically acclaimed HBO series "Sessions" and became the first comedian to perform in the then-Soviet Union with his special "Midnight Train to Moscow," one of four one-man specials he has done for HBO. He has hosted the Grammy Awards three times and, of course, the Oscars eight times. He has starred in Running Scared, Throw Momma from the Train, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers I and II, Mr. Saturday Night, Forget Paris, Hamlet, Deconstructing Harry, Father's Day, My Giant, Analyze This and That and America's Sweethearts. Crystal's film 61* for HBO films showcased Billy as both director and executive producer. The film was based on the true story of the pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record by New York Yankees stars Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. It garnered 12 Emmy nominations including nods for "Best Director" and "Best Made for Television Movie," it also earned him a prestigious Director's Guild nomination. Billy lent his voice to the character Mike Wazowski in Disney's record-breaking, blockbuster animated hit, Monsters, Inc. Harper Collins released Crystal's first children's book, I Already Know I Love You, in April 2004 and it was #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. Written in honor and anticipation of the birth of his first grandchild, the book describes the parade of feelings that come with being a grandfather for the very first time. A dedicated human rights advocate, he has co-hosted with Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg all eight "Comic Relief" telethons on HBO which have brought the plight of the nation's homeless to the public and raised over $40 million for housing and medical care for these needy people. Billy has won a Tony Award, six Emmy Awards, six American Comedy Awards and seven Cable Ace Awards.

Des McAnuff (Director) is a two-time Tony Award-winning director and writer. McAnuff served as artistic director of LaJolla Playhouse from its 1983 rebirth through 1994, during which time he directed 21 productions, including musicals as well as contemporary and classic works. Under his leadership, the Playhouse won over 200 theatre awards, including the 1993 Tony Award as America's Outstanding Regional Theatre. McAnuff returned as Artistic Director of the Playhouse in 2001. Productions directed by McAnuff during his first tenure at the playhouse include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Playhouse 1994, Broadway 1995, five Tony Award nominations), The Who's Tommy (directed as well as co-author with Pete Townshend; Playhouse 1992, Broadway 1993, Tony Award Best Director of a Musical, London Olivier Award Best Director 1994), A Walk in the Woods (Playhouse 1987, Broadway 1988, Moscow and Lithunia 1989-90) and Big River (Playhouse 1984, Broadway 1985, seven Tony Awards including Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical). Recent productions directed at the Playhouse include Tom Donaghy's Eden Lane (2003), Moliere's Tartuffe (2002), Dracula, The Musical (2001) and Michael Ondaatje's The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (2001), for which he also composed the original score. In 2003, McAnuff directed the multi-media extravaganza Sinatra: His Voice. His World. His Way. at Radio City Music Hall. McAnuff's first full-length feature film was 1998's Cousin Bette, staring Jessica Lange. In 1999, he produced the critically acclaimed Warner Bros. film Iron Giant, which went on to win nine 1999 "Annie" Awards from the International Animation Society and a 1999 BAFTA Award from the British Academy of Film and Television. In 2001, McAnuff directed Universal Studios' The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle starring Robert DeNiro, Jason Alexander, and Rene Russo. He also served as Executive Producer for the critically acclaimed movie Quills, which was named Best Picture by the National Board of Review.

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