Billy Crystal's Pre-Broadway Engagement of 700 SUNDAYS Opens Tonight at State Theatre

The acclaimed Billy Crystal will perform 700 Sundays, his Tony Award-winning, record breaking, autobiographical play in Minneapolis tonight, October 22-26, 2013 at the historic State Theatre. Scheduled for six performances only, this exclusive pre-Broadway engagement is the only one before the final Broadway run in the fall. 700 Sundays is a special addition to Hennepin Theatre Trust's 2013/14 Broadway Across America-Minneapolis Season. To purchase tickets and for more information visit HennepinTheatreTrust.org, call 800.982.2787 or stop by the State Theatre Box Office at 805 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.

700 Sundays is written and performed by Billy Crystal with additional content by Alan Zweibel and direction by Des McAnuff. In this original two-act play, Billy plays numerous characters that 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, loving and loss. On Broadway, 700 Sundays is set for a 9-week-only limited engagement at the Imperial Theatre, 249 West 45th Street with opening night on November 13, 2013 and a final performance on January 5, 2014.

"700 Sundays has, without question, been the most satisfying experience of my career," said Crystal. "When we originally opened on Broadway, all I knew was that I had a story that I was compelled to share. Now that I've performed my play across the country and internationally, I'm gratified to know that the love of family, through joy and pain, is perhaps the most universal story."

Billy Crystal was pronounced "The King of Broadway" by The New York Post for the Broadway debut of 700 Sundays which, in its opening week on Broadway, broke the house record for highest weekly gross at the Broadhurst Theatre and then continued to top its own record every week. With a cumulative gross of over $21 million, 700 Sundays set a record for the highest weekly grossing non-musical in Broadway history at that time ($1,061,689 for the week ending 5/22/05) and was one of the top ten grossing shows every single week of its run, despite playing only seven performances per week. 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.

Following the Broadway production, Crystal played sold-out limited engagements of 700 Sundays in Toronto, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. He then took 700 Sundays to Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, where both engagements sold out upon announcement and won the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Special Event. In 2009, Crystal brought the show back to the United States with engagements in six major cities: Washington DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Palm Beach, Miami and Atlanta. This fall's Broadway engagement will mark the show's first return to New York since its Broadway debut.

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

TICKET INFORMATION Tickets prices range from $51 to $134, depending on seating preference, and are subject to change. Additional fees may apply. Tickets may be purchased in person at the State Theatre Box Office (805 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 55402), online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org, through Ticketmaster by calling 800.982.2787 or by visiting a Ticketmaster Ticket Center. Groups of 10 or more should call 612.373.5665 for information and reservations.

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