The Full Monty to close at the Noel Coward, 29 Mar 2014

The West End production of The Full Monty has surprised audiences by announcing that it will close at the Noel Coward Theatre on Saturday 29 March 2014, after opening less than three weeks ago. The stage adaptation of the successful film had originally been booking until 14 Jun 2014, but will now close almost three months early.

Kevin Doughty who plays Gaz in the production broke the news via his Facebook page, stating that he was "devastated and heart-broken" for everyone involved:

"Yesterday, on the day we had two full houses and two standing ovations. In the week our play got an Olivier nomination we were given the shocking news that the play is being pulled..."

This was later followed up by a statement from the Producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, who commented:

"It is with great sadness that this show will close despite having played to packed houses on its UK tour. Simply not enough of a West End audience shared in the excitement of this terrific production."

Despite largely positive notices, including our own four star review , audiences haven't backed what was expected to be a popular screen-to-stage adaptation. It is thought that the production will recommence a UK tour later in the year.

The Full Monty is co-produced by Sheffield Theatres and David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, and is directed by Daniel Evans. It is written by Simon Beaufoy and based on the Fox Searchlight Pictures Motion Picture of the same name.