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Miller Auditorium goes 'Full Monty' for five shows

Oct. 14, 2004

KALAMAZOO--Broadway smash hit musical "The Full Monty," with book by Tony Award-winner Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by pop composer David Yazbek, makes its Kalamazoo debut for one weekend only at Miller Auditorium, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 22-24.

Based on the record-breaking 1997 Academy Award-nominated hit of the same name, "The Full Monty" is the raucous and heartfelt story of six unemployed steelworkers who go to great lengths to make some cash and help out a friend in trouble. When a local male strip show--whose dancers venture down to their G-strings--is a hit with the local women, the cash-strapped factory workers figure they can cash in big time if they go the Full Monty.

Four-time Tony Award-winning writer McNally adapted the screen hit for the stage and added his own unique brand of American comedy to the story. "The show is about friendship, about being a parent," said McNally. "It's also about an image obsessed society that says you have to look like Brad Pitt. This show says quite the opposite. It celebrates everybody for exactly who they are."

To help the story feel closer to home, McNally moved it to Buffalo, N.Y., from Sheffield, England, where the original movie took place.

When it opened on Broadway in October, 2000, "The Full Monty" was hailed by critics as "a genuine musical comedy," "full of brilliance," "witty," "funny," and "exhilarating." The New York Post said, "it's a blockbuster. A one-of-a-kind Broadway musical."

Composer and lyricist Yazbek, winner of the 2001 Drama Desk Award for his music, says, "'The Full Monty' is a sports story. It's not about stripping. It's a bunch of guys who get together and form a team. There are ups and downs, and, in the end, they win."

Performances of "The Full Monty" are Friday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 24 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $23 to $47 and are available by through the Miller Auditorium Ticket office at (269) 387-2300 or toll free (800) 228-9858, or on the Web at <www.millerauditorium.com>. Ticket are also available at the Epic Center Box Office in downtown Kalamazoo.

"The Full Monty" at Miller Auditorium is sponsored by WKFR 103.3 FM and WWMT TV3.

Media contact: Tracey Lawie, 269 387-2309, tracey.lawie@wmich.edu

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