Oakland to flash audience ‘The Full Monty’
Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: May 1, 2008
The Oakland Center for the Arts is staging ‘‘The Full Monty,’’ but it won’t say whether it delivers ‘‘the full monty’’ until opening night.
The musical by Terrence McNally and David Yazbeck is based on the 1997 movie of the same name about a group of unemployed British men who try to reverse their economic plight by starting an all-male dance revue. The way these average guys with their average bodies plan to compete with the hardbodies usually featured in such shows is that they will take it all off, showing ‘‘the full monty.’’
The stage version opened on Broadway in 2000, where it ran for nearly two years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
This version moves the action to Buffalo, N.Y., where the blue collar workers have lost their jobs at the local steel mills.
The cast features Ric Panning, Anthony Scarsella, Kenny Brown, Gary Shackleford, David Munnell, Brandon Smith, Joey Monda, Eric McCrea, Greg Mocker, Sheridan Sullivan, Kage Coven, Alecia Sarkis, Heidi Davis, Suzanne Shorrab, Juleah Buttermore, Anna Frabutt, Joyce Jones, Nikita Jones, Geri Tichnor, and Fran Comstock.
The production is directed by Robert Dennick Joki with John Smiley as musical director, Richard Bell as choreographer and L.J. ‘‘Tess’’ Tessier as stage manager.
‘‘The Full Monty’’ will be staged at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and May 9-10 and 16-17 and 2 p.m. May 11 at the Oakland Center for the Arts, 220 W. Boardman St., Youngstown. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $10 for students and can be reserved by calling 330-746-0404.
On display in the Oakland’s Star Gallery during the run of the show will be wooden sculptures by local artist Jess Adkins.
