Rider Presents The Full Monty October 9-13

Rider University will present the comic musical The Full Monty Wednesday October 9 through Sunday, October 13 in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater on the campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. Robin Lewis is the director and choreographer, and Louis F. Goldberg is the musical director for the cast composed of students studying musical theatre at Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts.

Based on the popular British film, this production of The Full Monty was adapted by Terrence McNally with music by David Yazbek for the American stage. The story centers around six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, who decide to present a strip act at a local club after seeing their wives’ enthusiasm for a touring company of The Chippendales. Pushing through fears, building on self-esteem, and rediscovering the importance of friendship and family, The Full Monty is full of comedy and outstanding music. This award-winning musical is recommended for mature audiences.

“Full Monty is British slang for the whole thing; everything that is wanted or needed,” says Robin Lewis. “The show is about taking chances, and not accepting ‘NO’ for an answer. It’s about being proud of who you are regardless of how you look or whom you choose to love. The message is much deeper than shedding one’s clothes – more about revealing who you are to others and, more importantly, to yourself. The fear of full disclosure is huge but once it is conquered, the rewards are great and one’s fullest potential can be recognized. No job, no money -will they go the ‘Full Monty’?”

Robin Lewis' Broadway credits include Fosse, Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden and the first national tours of Victor/Victoria and The Producers. Other national tours include A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly!, Beauty and the Beast and special performances at The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. He appears on the PBS Dance in America movie Fosse: A Celebration in Dance. Lewis' choreographic work includes the Richard Linklater film BERNIE, starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Black. He has choreographed scores of others shows regionally, garnering multiple critical awards, including the Kennedy Center/ACTF Excellence in Choreography.

At Rider University, Louis F. Goldberg has directed the musical revue Cole, and he has served as musical director for The Wedding Singer, The Light in the Piazza and Rent. He has conducted more than 300 musicals across the United States and Europe, including tours of Man of La Mancha, Cabaret, Chicago and 42nd Street. Recent projects include a four-month run off-Broadway at the York Theatre playing Ted Shapiro in Red Hot Mama: The Sophie Tucker Songbook, a role he premiered at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, followed by engagements at the Players’ Club in New York City, the Plush Room in San Francisco, Santa Fe Stages and at London’s Greenwich Theatre. He is currently the resident music director for Gretna Theatre in Mt. Gretna, Pa.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. They can be purchased at the door, through the box office at 609-895-7775 or online at www.rider.edu/arts. General admission tickets for the preview performance on Wednesday, October 9 are $9 and are only available at the door. Rider University is located at 2038 Lawrenceville Road in Lawrenceville, N.J.