Yamada Takayuki to star in Japanese version of "Full Monty"

Yamada Takayuki will mark his entry into stage plays with the lead role in the Japanese stage play version of British movie "Full Monty". This marks a new attempt for Yamada who has to sing on stage and may have to bare his body as he enters his 15th year in showbiz next year. The play will be staged at Tokyo International Forum from 31 January to 16 February and also features co-stars like Owada Miho and Brother Tom.

The original British movie won four awards in the 1997 British Academy Awards including best movie and best leading actor and talks about how a group of six unemployed men take part in an one-night-only strip show in order to earn money for their families and loved ones.

In 2000, the movie was made into a Broadway musical and was staged in Japan in 2002. As the title suggests, the cast would have to be nude on stage so when the US musical was staged, strong lighting was used to prevent the full exposure of the actors' bodies. However, as to how these scenes will be handled in the Japanese version, it has not been confirmed. Yamada is expected to sing 5 songs alone and another 4 songs during the chorus. As he had made his debut as a singer in 2002's afternoon drama "Daisuki! Itsutsuko 4" when he sang the theme song "Manatsu no Tenshi" so he should not have problems singing on stage.

Yamada commented that he was thrilled about his first role in a stage play and that nobody probably expected him to take on this role. He hopes to give his all and make it an enjoyable experience for those who come to see this play.

Source: Sanspo