Sheffield Lyceum’s The Full Monty streaks into West End in 2014

Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre’s The Full Monty is making its way to London’s West End next year for the first time.

The 1997 movie release was the year that saw the most revealing comedy – with a group of money hungry men unzipping their dignity through their trousers under the shadow of Thatcherism.

After the movie release, Yorkshire born and Oscar winning screenwriter, Simon Beaufoy brought the crew back to revive the story in its narrative setting, Sheffield. And so the Lyceum Theatre audiences rediscovered the humour, the heartache at the expense of their own city’s catastrophic history.

Source: Daily Telegraph

Sheffield Theatres said: “This is Simon Beaufoy ’s first work for the theatre. His screen credits include the BAFTA Award-winning The Full Monty, 127 Hours, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won an Oscar.”

The Full Monty is about a group of unemployed Sheffield steel workers who decide their only way to bring in any income at all is to form a male striptease act. The main character Gaz, in order to unite and form a better relationship with his son, decides their show will be better than their opposing striptease act (Chippendale) because their group will indeed go ‘the full monty’ and strip all the way.

Though the film spreads humour across its audience through most scenes, the film also touches on sensitive subjects like, depression, life as a working class and homosexuality.

The BBC said: “The play stays true to the tale of the unemployed Sheffield mates who find themselves on the scrap heap of life after their factory shuts.”

Earlier this year in February, Dominic Cavendish from the Telegraph said: “After an American musical version that drew insufficient oohs and ahhs of delight in London 11 years ago, The Full Monty has now been reborn as an uproariously entertaining Eighties-set play scripted by its creator Simon Beaufoy.

“West End producers are dying to get their mitts on it, and small wonder. It more than measures up, delivering the same tongue-in-cheek thrills and shiver-inducing redundancy sob-stories but the potent added layer is that the ageing lads now get their kit off in front of a living, breathing, very steamed-up crowd.”

London audiences will see Lyceum’s The Full Monty with its West End performance – reviving the story for Sheffield steel workers for all.

It will be shown at the Noel Coward Theatre in London for 16 weeks, between February and June 2014.

Noel Coward
Source: Covent Garden Theatres

In 2012, Beaufoy told the BBC: “Without Sheffield, there would be no Full Monty. It’s been a long road – via Hollywood – but finally the characters are coming back home to the place it all started.

“Or to put it another way, we are all genuinely chuffed to bits.”

This will be the first time the West End will see The Fully Monty and expectations are high are for audience entertainment.

Customer Services Executive Nathan at West End’s Noel Coward Theatre said: “As it is the West End, we do attract a large crowd for majority of our shows. Most of the time, people already know the story of what they are going to watch so they enjoy it.

“And with The Full Monty, people do know the story and they find it a very interesting one. It was a movie first, so prospects for the theatre show will be something very exciting, with regards especially to the visual aesthetics of the infamous striptease scenes.”

Nathan said performing for the first time at the West End should definitely be a hit.

Lyceum Sheffield’s Sales Assistant for the Box Office, Pat, suggests the show will be as great as the success it has received at the Lyceum before.

“Because it was a national hit, and audiences in America have seen the movie too, it will do exceptionally well at the West End as well. London has a much larger population and tourist footfall compared to other cities in England, so it’s no doubt it will be a winner there too.” Said Pat.

Pat said: “Everyone has heard of it, it’s not just a local phenomenon. But for the Sheffield audience it was amazing.”

She said the movie alone was very funny but seeing everything live in front of you is even better.

“The movie is very good and in some ways, true to life for our local audience. It was set in the 90’s, of course a lot has changed since then so some parts are no longer relevant.

“But that’s the beauty of it, we get to regress back to history for a while, understand the hardship of jobless steelworkers, but still have a laugh at the same time.” She said.

Pat said she has watched the movie three times, and the play twice. And every time has had the same reaction to the comedy.

“It wasn’t a shock, the first time I watched it, because I knew what to expect. Watching it as a play is a lot funnier because you share the comedy and laughter with the rest of the audience too.” She said.

The West End should expect nothing less than what it’s revealed to its Sheffield audience.

Pat said it’s a great play because the actors interact with the audience too, allowing them to be a part of the scenes and really get the energy flowing through their audience.

Another Sales Assistant at the Box Office, Chris, shares the same hopes for the West End and said it will do as well as it has done everywhere else.

“It’s a marvelous production. Though I have only seen it once, which I think that’s enough for me, it was so wonderful. And the scenes will forever be with me. Luckily for us ladies.”

She said this is the first time their production will be performing at the West End and suggests there will have plenty of thrills and laughs coming their way.

Tickets are already on sale on: www.uktheatretickets.co.uk

Sheffield Star Walk and its History

Courtesy of Google

The Star Walk has made a comeback; it quickly became a yearly event when racers took part in the first race back in 1922. The walk hasn’t taken place since 2000 but ‘The Star’ brought a version of it back to raise money for the ‘Women of Steel’ statue.

The Star Walk 2013 was just one mile long so that as many of the Women of Steel, who are now in their late 80’s and 90’s could join in. The four women who have lead the campaign – Kathleen Roberts, Kit Sollitt, Ruby Gascoigne and Dorothy Slingsby all took part.

Courtesy of Google

The appeal to raise the money for the statue started earlier this year. The statue is going to cost £150,000. Thousands of pounds in donations have already been given. The statue will feature two of the women standing shoulder to shoulder and will be bronze in colour, human scale and will be a permanent memorial placed outside Sheffield City Hall.

‘Woman of Steel’ Kathleen Roberts told the Star: “This statue means such a lot to so many families in Sheffield and further afield that we are determined to do all we can to raise the money.”

During the wars, thousands of women were recruited to help in the steel factories in Sheffield. They were often quite young, usually in their twenties, left their families in order to help keep the factories running, whilst the men of Sheffield were out fighting in the war.

The factory conditions were extremely dangerous and challenging. The women usually worked long hours and under threat of air raids. They had no choice but to work in the steel factories, so they could make artillery and armour to keep up with the demand that was coming from the men fighting the war. If they refused to work our army would never have had as much weapons and protection as they did.

When the war ended and the men returned to work, the women were simply sent home from the factories and had to go back to their normal lives, and all the work they done to help, was forgotten about. They were never celebrated or congratulated and went without any recognition for years.

Mrs Roberts said told ‘The Star’: “We worked flat out for the work effort and we were just young girls. It breaks my heart that we haven’t been recognised and everyone else has been. I just want people to please give what they can so we can have a lasting memory of what we did.”

Sheffield has been recognised for its iconic steel industry and the role that it played in both world wars. And the men that fought have had recognition and been celebrated. Now Sheffield wants to celebrate the women, who had exceptional work ethic, stamina and extreme bravery that worked in the steel factories.

The ‘Women of Steel Statue’ is being designed by Martin Jennings, he also sculpted the sculpture of former Poet Laureate John Betjeman at St Pancras station in central London.

The Star Walk started back in 1922, the walk, was only open to men, 272 men entered the walk the first year. The walk was 12 miles long, but was later amended to nine miles in 1925. The race got a great response and started to raise money for charities and help the residents of Sheffield, in the depression and unemployment.

Courtesy of Google

In 1939 the Star Walked stopped for six years due to the Second World War. When it returned, in 1945 the route reverted back to the 12-mile track.  The number of entries was getting smaller and smaller and by 1958 only 38 people took part.

By 1960 the walk had become larger and the walk was approximately 20 miles long, people from outside South Yorkshire were entering by 1962 and the race numbers increased to 241 by 1969. 1969 was the first year that colourful and fancy dress was worn.

John Burkhill said: “I played for a football team and one of my teammates took part in 1966, so the following year a few of us signed up. We trained hard, but on the day of the race, we only just made it to the finish line on time, as we had to start our milk rounds at 3a.m. before we could take part.”

The seventies saw a lot of changes ranging from the route, when the race took place, the age limit lowered and they started a race for women. The men’s race had 573 contestants by 1979 and kept expanding until 1983, where 792 men took part. 1978 was the year that the first women’s race commenced with 153 participants, which also expanded until 1984, but after that the numbers started to drop. A junior race also started up in 1985.

Courtesy of Google

The race was no longer as popular as it used to be and in 1994 they changed the name to ‘The Star Walk for Charity’ and changed the way they promoted the race. The event lost interest rapidly, after other events offered money for the winners; n 2000 the last race was ran.

Star Walk 2013 was a small version of the original Star Walk; it took place on Sunday the 28^th of April, at Hillsborough Park. It started and finished at Hillsborough Arena, known locally as The Old Running Track. The walk started at 11am, after the warm up session that started at 9.30am that was led by Activity Sheffield.

Cllr Julie Dore, leader of Sheffield city council said: “The race was there to raise money for charity and this is a great appeal, we owe it to these women to make the statue become a reality.”

Other fundraising plans are also in the pipeline for later in the year including a major concert at Sheffield City Hall. The Star have handed the baton over to the next fundraisers.

You can donate to the Women of Steel Statue Appeal by visiting www.justgiving.co.uk/womenofsteel. The money raised from the walk is still being totalled up.

Courtesy of Google

By Zoe Ireland