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Broadway Monty Extends West End Run by Six Months

Feelgood Broadway musical The Full Monty, which received its UK premiere at the West End's Prince of Wales Theatre last month, has extended its booking period by more than six months. The musical, based on the British film of the same name, opened in London on 12 March 2002 (previews from 27 February) and had been booking up to 24 August 2002. It is now booking up to 8 March 2003.

The musical about a group of blue-collar men who resort to stripping to pay the rent is led by Broadway stars Jarrod Emick (as Jerry Lukowski), Jason Denieley (Malcolm MacGregor), Andre De Shields (Noah 'Horse' T Simmons), John Ellison Conlee (Dave Bukatinsky), Romain Fruge (Ethan Girard) and Marcus Neville (Harold Nichols) as well as British comic character veteran Dora Bryan (Jeannette Burmeister).

Peter Cattaneo's 1997 film The Full Monty - which starred Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson and Hugo Speer - became one of Britain's biggest ever hits, garnering six Oscar nominations in addition to international acclaim.

The Full Monty musical is the creation of American bookwriter Terrence McNally and first-time theatrical composer David Yazbek. They have made substantial changes in the adaptation to the new medium, including the addition of several characters, new dance numbers, new songs of course and, most controversially (at least for British domestic audiences), the transatlantic move of the locale. While the film original was set in Sheffield, England, the stage action occurs in the American city of Buffalo, New York.

The stage The Full Monty premiered - to enthusiastic reviews and box office records - in San Diego, California, before opening at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre in October 2000.

The West End production is staged by the entire Broadway creative team, headed by director Jack O'Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. It is designed by John Arnone, with costumes by Bob Morgan, lighting by Howell Binkley and sound by Mike Walker. Orchestrations are by Harold Wheeler, music dance arrangements by Zane Mark and musical direction by Ted Sperling. The UK musical director is Martin Lowe. The Full Monty is produced in London by Lindsay Law, Thomas Hall and Sacha Brooks.

- by Terri Paddock

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