Uptown Players presents THE FULL MONTY

Uptown Players kicks off its 2017-2018 season with the hit musical The Full Monty, running October 20 - November 5 at the Kalita Humphreys Theater.

The musical stage version of the hit 1997 British film, The Full Monty boasts a book by Terrence McNally and a score by David Yazbek. The Americanized musical was nominated for nine Tony awards and eleven Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, when its shimmied its way onto Broadway in 2000.

The Full Monty follows six down-on-their luck steelworkers who are desperately seeking employment and a paycheck to support their families. As they see women (including their own wives) going gaga over buff male strippers, they come up with a bold way to make some quick cash. These plain, uncoordinated men must overcome their body issues and learn to move their average bodies in a way that resembles erotic dance. As they reveal the plan to their wives, the men must expose more than their bare-bottoms to make the plan a reality.

Director Cheryl Denson explains the relatable nature of this hilariously vulnerable musical saying, "These guys have to work through their fears, self-consciousness, feelings of worthlessness and anxieties, which we can all understand. The magical thing about this show is that these friends come to discover that not only are they stronger as a group, but that the strength they find in each other gives them the individual courage to face their demons and overcome them."

The Uptown Players cast includes Mary Campbell, Phillip Clark, Aaron Green, Tom Grugle, Selmore Haines III, Jonathan Hardin, Lindsay Hayward, Josh Hepola, Greg Hullett, Michael Isaac, Jennifer Kuenzer, Hunter Lewis, Liz Millea, Parker Niksich, Kimberly Oliver, Rare Orion, Victoria Valentine, Jacie Hood Wenzel, and Brandon Wilhelm. The production is under the direction of Cheryl Denson, with music direction by Kevin Gunter, and Choreography by Jeremy Dumont.

This musical runs October 20 through November 5, 2017, with shows at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday (no performance October 22). Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (at Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219. Tickets are $30-$50 and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at (214) 219-2718.

About Uptown Players:

Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. Now in its seventeenth season and ninth at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following and is providing an opportunity for a wide diversity of gender styles to come together and explore life choices through great theatre themes such as relationships, family, prejudice, and values. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including over 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, and over 30 Theater Critics Forum Awards in its first fifteen seasons. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers and by the Dallas Observer and was also featured in D Magazine and on WFAA's Daybreak and Good Morning Texas programs.

Uptown Players has presented world premieres, including Redesigning Women (2013), Crazy Just Like Me (2011) and the stage adaptation of The Valley of the Dolls (2007), along with the United States premieres of the West End hit musical Soho Cinders (2014), and the Pet Shop Boys Musical Closer to Heaven (2010). Uptown Players was the first regional theater in the United States to present the Tony Award winner The Boy from Oz and the Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next To Normal, following the closing of the Broadway productions. Each season, Uptown Players presents several regional premieres, including recent productions of It Shoulda Been You, The Toxic Avenger, Mothers and Sons, End of the Rainbow, The Nance, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Hello Again (featured in a Broadway World article about the recent movie), and The Producers.

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