New London Production of The Full Monty to Open at Catford's Broadway Studio, then Transfer to the West End's New Players

By Mark Shenton
27 Oct 2009

Director Thom Southerland
Director Thom Southerland

A new production of David Yazbeck and Terrence McNally's Broadway stage musical version of The Full Monty, based on the 1997 British film comedy of the same name, is to be staged at the Broadway Studio in Catford, south east London, before transferring to the West End's New Players Theatre. It will begin performances at the Broadway Studio Nov. 4, for a run through Nov. 29, then move to the New Players, beginning performances there Dec.2, prior to an official opening Dec. 3, for a run through Jan. 2, 2010.

Directed by Thom Southerland, who was last represented on the London stage by his productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein's State Fair and Irving Berlin's Call Me Madam, seen at the Finborough Theatre and Highgate's Upstairs at the Gatehouse Theatre respectively in the summer of 2009, it has musical direction by Magnus Gilljam, choreography by Chadd Carvie, design by Phillipa Mumford and lighting by Kath O'Sullivan. It is produced by Nick Robinson for Stage Taylor and the Broadway Studio, in association with the New Players Theatre.

The musical, which received its world premiere at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre before transferring to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre in 2000, where it ran for 770 performances through Sept. 2002, was first seen in the U.K. in the West End when Jack O'Brien's original Broadway staging transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre in March 2002. It has music and lyrics by David Yazbek, who also subsequently wrote a stage version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that was premiered on Broadway in 2005, and a book by Terrence McNally (whose other musical book credits include Ragtime, currently being revived on Broadway, and two Kander and Ebb scored shows, Kiss of the Spiderwoman and The Rink). It is based on the motion picture released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, that was written by Simon Beaufoy, produced by Uberto Pasolini and directed by Peter Cattaneo.

In the musical version, which relocates the action from Sheffield in England to Buffalo, New York, a group of unemployed steelworkers come up with a bold way to make some quick cash, inspired by seeing how much their wives enjoy watching male strippers. In the process they find renewed self-esteem, the importance of friendship and the ability to have fun. As the men work through their fears, self-consciousness, feelings of worthlessness and anxieties (over everything from being overweight to child custody, bigotry to being gay), they come to discover that not only are they stronger as a group, but that the strength they find in each other gives them the individual courage to face their demons and overcome them.

Southerland has previously directed Bent, Oklahoma!, The Diary of Anne Frank, Rent and Mack and Mabel at the Broadway Theatre, where he is resident director. He was previously a resident director at Southwark's Union Theatre, directing I Sing!, Divorce Me Darling!, Annnie Get Your Gun, The Pajama Game and all-male productions of HMS Pinafore and The Mikado there.

To book tickets for the run at Catford's Broadway Studio, call the box office on 020 8690 0002, or visit www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk; to book for the New Players, call the box office on 020 7478 0135, or visit www.newplayerstheatre.com