Third Street Theatre Presents THE FULL MONTY, 9/7-10/14

Third Street Theatre announces its second production in L.A.'s newest 99-seat Equity Waiver house, the Tony award-winning musical THE FULL MONTY, with book by Terrence McNally, music and lyrics by David Yazbek, choreography by John Todd, musical direction by Johanna Kent and direction by Richard Israel. THE FULL MONTY will open on Friday, September 7 and run through Sunday, October 14 at the THIRD STREET THEATRE, 8115 W. Third Street in West Hollywood.

THE FULL MONTY, a musical version of the 1997 film of the same name, follows six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers frustrated with money, women, and life without a paycheck. Determined to be the best Chippendale-style strippers Buffalo, NY has ever seen, the workaday men dance their way through a strip club act that ultimately teaches them what it really means to be a man. THE FULL MONTY isn't just about showing off the outside; it's what's on the inside that counts.

David Yazbek is a long-time cult favorite-a recording artist, vocalist and pianist known for his thrilling live performances and irreverent style. He is a two-time Tony Award nominee, whose shows The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels have played in over 20 countries. His first album, "The Laughing Man," won the N.A.I.R.D. Award for Best Pop Album of the Year. He is also a Grammy-nominated record producer and an Emmy-Award winning TV writer (for Late Night with David Letterman).

Terrence McNally was awarded the Dramatists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. He is the winner of Tony Awards for his plays Love! Valour! Compassion! and Masterclass, and his books for the musicals Ragtime and Kiss Of The Spiderwoman. Among his many honors are the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play, four Drama Desk Awards, three Hull-Warriner Best Play Awards from the Dramatists Guild, two Obies, two Lortel Awards and two Guggenheim Fellowships. His other plays include Frankie And Johnny In The Clair De Lune: Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Corpus Christi; A Perfect Ganesh; The Ritz; It's Only A Play; Some Men; Golden Age; Deuce; The Lisbon Traviata; Bad Habits; The Stendhal Syndome; Dedication Or The Stuff Of Dreams; Next; Unusual Acts Of Devotion; Sweet Eros; Witness; Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone? and his first play…And Things That Go Bump In The Night. He has written the books for the musicals The Full Monty, A Man Of No Importance, The Visit and The Rink.

Richard Israel (Director) is thrilled to be directing The Full Monty at Third Street Theatre, where he directed last year's inaugural production of Falsettos. Recent productions include Leading Ladies at International City Theatre, Once Upon A Mattress for Cabrillo Music Theatre, Gypsy (L.A. Weekly Award Nominations for Directing and Outstanding Musical)for West Coast Ensemble and the world premiere of Having It All (7 Ovation Award Nominations) at the NoHo Arts Center.

Other directing credits include Meet Me In St. Louis for Musical Theatre West, A Christmas Carol for the Norris Theatre and Bell, Book and Candle for The Colony Theatre, as well as the critically acclaimed west coast premiere of Anita Bryant Died For Your Sins, the Los Angeles premiere of Big - The Musical, Assassins (L.A. Weekly Award Nominations for Direction and Outstanding Musical, LADCC Award for Musical Ensemble)and Floyd Collins - all for Hollywood's West Coast Ensemble Theatre.

For the Musical Theatre Guild, he has directed High Fidelity, One Touch Of Venus, High Spirits and Violet as well as staged readings of Dani Girl and Rocket Science for the Festival Of New American Musicals. Richard is the proud recipient of the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Career Achievement Award for Directing.

JOHANNA KENT (Musical Direction) Credits include: Gypsy, Merrily We Roll Along, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Assassins (Garland Award), 1776 (LA Weekly award nom), Floyd Collins (Garland Award), A New Brain, A Little Night Music, Something's Afoot. Performing credits include: Big (Mrs. Kopecki/Miss Watson/et al), Assassins (Sara Jane Moore), Into the Woods (Jack's Mother), Cinderella (Cinderella), Those Meddling Kids Improv.

More Articles by This Author...