Even Before It Opens, The Full Monty Tour Is A Blockbuster With £5 Million Advance & Extra Performances Announced
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Jacob Porteous
As previously announced, the 2016/17 UK Tour of Simon Beaufoy’s THE FULL MONTY is led by Gary Lucy as Gaz, with Andrew Dunn as Gerald, Louis Emerick as Horse, Chris Fountain as Guy and Kai Owen as Dave. Anthony Lewis will now be playing the role of Lomper, as Joe Absolom had to withdraw due to contractual filming commitments.
Anthony Lewis is best known as regular Marc Reynolds in Emmerdale. As a teenager, he played the title role in the children’s TV series Adam’s Family Tree and Scott Morris in Children’s Ward, the children’s TV series created by Paul Abbott and Kay Mellor. His films includes A Passionate Woman, Boy A, Girls' Night and This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.
Also joining the cast will be Andrew Ashford, Adam Beresford, Pauline Fleming, William Ilkley, Jonathan McGarrity, Charlotte Powell, Jess Schofield and Fiona Skinner. The role of Nathan will be shared by Reiss Ward, James Burton, Monty Poole and Felix Yates.
THE FULL MONTY won the UK Theatre Award for Best Touring Production. The 2016/17 UK Tour will begin in Bournemouth on 21 September 2016, finishing at the Sheffield Lyceum on 15 April 2017. The advance box office for the tour of over £5 million is breaking records at theatres around the country and extra performances have already been added at Birmingham Hippodrome and the Leeds Grand Theatre.
Jack Ryder directs THE FULL MONTY and his credits include national tours of Tm Firth’s play Calendar Girls and the short film Act of Memory with Claire Skinner, Owen Teale and Anna Massey, which was officially selected for nine international festivals around the world including the Cannes Film Festival. As an actor, Jack is probably best known as Jamie Mitchell in EastEnders, a role he played for four years.
Gary Lucy is best known for his roles as Danny Pennant in EastEnders, DS Will Fletcher in The Bill, Kyle Pascoe in Footballer’s Wives and Luke Morgan in Hollyoaks, and was a past winner of Dancing on Ice. Andrew Dunn is best known as Tony in Dinnerladies and for his regular appearances playing Alastair Campbell on Bremner, Bird and Fortune. Louis Emerick played Mick Johnson in the long-running soap Brookside and PC Walsh in the even longer-running Last of the Summer Wine. Chris Fountain played regulars Justin Burton in Hollyoaks and Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street, and he was runner-up of Dancing on Ice. Kai Owen is best known for his portrayal of Rhys in Torchwood and recently played Pete in Hollyoaks.
In 1997, a British film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose, took the world by storm becoming one of the most successful British films ever made. The story still resonates today, probably more so now than ever.
Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar- and BAFTA-winning writer of the film, has adapted his own screenplay for this hilarious and heartfelt stage production, which features the iconic songs from the film by Donna Summer, Hot Chocolate and Tom Jones.
THE FULL MONTY is Simon Beaufoy’s first work for the theatre. His screen credits include The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Salmon Fishing in Yemen, 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire, as well as The Full Monty.
The UK Tour of THE FULL MONTY has design is by Robert Jones, choreography by Ian West, lighting by Tim Lutkin and sound by Sarah Weltman, with casting by Marc Frankum.