Topic: College of Communication Information and Media

April 6, 2009

Men out of work will take to showing skin to earn a day's wages when the highly entertaining musical "The Full Monty" hits the Ball State stage April 23.

The Department of Theatre and Dance will present the musical — based on the hit 1997 movie of the same name — at 7:30 p.m. April 23-25 and April 29-May 2 with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on April 26. All shows will be at University Theatre.

"The Full Monty" centers on a group of six men in Buffalo, N.Y. who find themselves unemployed due to the closing of the local steel mill. To make money, they bond together over the idea of chasing their competition (women-stealing male strippers) out of town and giving the city a show to remember.

The play's director, Harold Mortimer, describes "The Full Monty" as a great musical comedy that, ironically, is quite topical in today's economic climate.

"What is most important is that the show isn't about the stripping, but how these crazy yet brave men do something at first for themselves, but then realize their actions are uniting an entire town," said Mortimer, assistant professor of musical theater. "The stripping is a way to release the incredible energy of depression the whole community is going through."

Mortimer said the cast and crew for the production have been enjoying themselves immensely in the weeks of rehearsal leading up to the premiere. "We have a wonderful musical director from New York City, Jeff Caldwell, and our new dance faculty member Christie Zimmerman is doing a great job to create dance that tells a story," he said. "The men and women of this show will steal the hearts of our audiences, and I have no doubts those attending will love it."

"The Full Monty" contains various levels of nudity and adult language. It is not suitable for persons younger than 13 years of age. Tickets for the performance cost $15.50 for the general public, $13.50 for faculty and staff, $11.50 for senior citizens and $9.50 for students. They are available from the University Theatre Box Office, open noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the box office at 765-285-8749 or visit www.bsu.edu/theatre for more information.

By Gail Werner, Media Strategist