THREE GUYS NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN Returns to the UK After 25 Years

The first UK production for twenty five years of the Off Broadway musical 3 GUYS NAKED FROM THE WAIST DOWN.

Book and Lyrics by Jerry Colker. Music by Michael Rupert.
Directed by Joshua Stamp-Simon. Musical Direction by Josh Sood. Designed by Anna Reid. Lighting Design by Jack Weir. Produced by Mark Pettitt and Aaron Rogers.
Presented by Rented Room Productions in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre.
Cast: Benedict Hastings. Simon Haines. Guy Woolf.

"My name is Ted Klausterman and I'll be your host here this evening at the Comedy Klub East. Yes, the Comedy Klub East, the place where you can sit back, relax, and feel good about the fact that you make more money than anyone you will see on stage tonight."

In a new production commissioned by the Finborough Theatre, 3 Guys Naked From The Waist Down returns to the UK for the first time in more than 25 years, running at the Finborough Theatre on Sunday and Monday evenings and Tuesday matinees for four weeks from Sunday, 22 November 2015 (Press Night: Monday, 23 November 2015 at 7.30pm).

It's the 1980s, and three guys - three very silly guys - aren't nearly as famous as they think they ought to be. Comedy fame just isn't happening quickly enough for charming Ted, rage-filled Phil and otherworldly Zen Catholic Kenny, until the three of them decide to form a team. Once united, the dizzying heights of late night chat shows, smash-hit TV sitcoms and international tours awaits.

But, as it always does, fame comes with a price.

It's not easy living life naked from the waist down.

3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down is a 1980s comedy musical about 1980s musical comics. This funny, vulgar and quintessentially 1980s show traces through stand-up, sketch and song the rise of three young stand-up comedians chasing the American Dream in a world where there are no heroes left.

Written by veteran Broadway performers - composer Michael Rupert originated the role of Marvin in March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, while lyricist and book-writer Jerry Colker was featured in the Broadway productions of West Side Story, Pippin and A Chorus Line - 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down received its world premiere Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre in 1985, starring Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise, NCIS: New Orleans), John Kassir (Tales from the Crypt, Pocahontas, JohnnyTime!) and book writer/lyricist, Jerry Colker. It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book as well as being nominated for Outstanding Music, Lyrics and Ensemble Performance, and has been seen across the world from Germany to Denmark to Japan. It was last seen in the UK at the Donmar Warehouse in 1989.

Playwright and Lyricist Jerry Colker made his debut as a playwright and lyricist with 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down, winning the Drama Desk award for Outstanding Book of a Musical and being nominated for Best Lyrics. He wrote the Book and Lyrics for the Broadway musical Mail (Pasadena Playhouse) where it broke box office records that still stand today. As a screenwriter, he has worked for Disney Animation developing the musicals Aladdin and Rapunzel (later re-named Tangled). He has written live action scripts for Touchstone, Tri-Star, TWE, True North Productions and was commissioned by Cheech & Chong to write the screenplay for their yet to be produced reunion film, Smoke Signals. For television, Jerry executive produced and wrote all the episodes and song lyrics for the USA Network show JohnnyTime! starring John Kassir, and has credits ranging from network shows including Growing Pains and In the House, to PBS including the documentary about Alzheimer's, The Forgetting and The Steven Banks Show, to multiple shows for Nickelodeon including All That and The Kenan and Kel Show. His play Skepticles (Skylight Theatre) was part of the INKubator play reading series, and he is currently working on a new political comedy The Colors in Between and a new musical Finkel & Francesca.

Composer Michael Rupert's musicals include 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down, which earned him a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Music, and Mail, also with Jerry Colker. He is currently working on a new musical, Strange Vacation. As an actor, he has spent the past year on Broadway playing Judge Pitkin in the Tony nominated revival of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town (Lyric Theatre). His countless Broadway and Off Broadway roles include Kander and Ebb's The Happy Time for which he won the Theatre World Award and his first Tony Award Nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical at the age of 16; Sweet Charity for which he won the Drama Desk Award and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; the title role of Bob Fosse's original Broadway production of Pippin; the iconic role of Marvin in William Finn and James Lapine's March of the Falsettos, Falsettoland and Falsettos (for which he received his third Tony Nomination); City of Angels; Ragtime; and Legally Blonde: The Musical. His extensive television credits include The Partridge Family, The Waltons, Emergency!, Alias Smith and Jones, Marcus Welby, M.D., Cannon and The Jim Nabors Godtime Hour as well as the films, A Boy and his Dog, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and Superdad. He has made many recordings as a solo artist, and can also be heard on multiple original cast recordings.

Director Joshua Stamp-Simon directed The Last of the De Mullins (Jermyn Street Theatre), 46 Beacon (Hope Theatre) and Three Short Plays About Gays (The Warren: Theatre Box, Brighton Fringe). Assistant Direction includes assisting Anthony Biggs on Flowers of the Forest (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Bruce Guthrie on The Blood is Strong (Finborough Theatre) and An Incident at the Border (Finborough Theatre and Trafalgar Studios). He trained at the University of Cambridge.

Musical Director Josh Sood is a conductor, composer and orchestrator. Musical Direction includes Duncton Wood (Union Theatre), NewsRevue (Canal Cafe Theatre), I Need A Doctor (UK Tour) and he is currently Associate Musical Director for Dusty - The Musical (Charing Cross Theatre). Josh assisted conductor David Charles Abell with The Olivier Awards 2014 (Royal Opera House) and BBC War Horse Prom (Albert Hall). Josh trained in orchestral conducting with Daniele Rosina at the University of Birmingham where he was involved with over sixty productions. www.joshsood.co.uk

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