The 1997 film version of The Full Monty was a masterpiece of cinema, a “feelgood” film that touched on important subjects like unemployment, marriage difficulties, debt, impotence, attempted suicide and homosexuality but that dealt with them all with as much humour as possible – oh, there was a little stripping too!
When the film transferred to the Broadway stage the humour, the sadness and the sheer hopelessness of life in Sheffield in the late 1980’s was transferred to Buffalo, New York, which is where the The Broadway Players current musical production, Produced and Directed by Jade Powers, is set.
Callum McFadyen plays unemployed Jerry, a flawed protagonist, to say the least. Jerry adores his teen son Nathan (played by Lewis Daynes – who was the star of the Junior Groups production of Guys and Dolls just last week) but has a big chip on his shoulder and is way behind in child support payments to his fed-up ex-wife.
To get out of arrears and keep his parental rights, Jerry, together with his best friend Dave Bukatinsky (David Watts), hatches a fairly ridiculous plan to produce a one-night-only, high-priced male strip show starring them and the other laid-off, “regular guys” – Noah “Horse” Simmons (Eddie Samuel), Harold Nichols (Stan Fillery), Malcolm MacGregor (Michael Shepherd) and Ethan Girard (David Nicholls).
Much of the humour in the very jazzy numbers, with clever lyrics, comes from the would-be Chippendales confronting fears and doubts, including shattered self-esteem, stage fright and macho double standards, to pull together their bare-all show.
Some highlights in the well played score are the opening ensemble lament as all the workers get laid off, Scrap, the slightly naughty Big Black Man, delivered with style and panache by Eddie Samuel and the beautiful ballad Breeze off the River, sung with strength and conviction by the consistently good McFadyen.
But it’s not all about the guys, and the female roar of emancipation that is It’s a Woman’s World, is led with gusto by Emily Neen as Georgie, wife of Dave, and Jerry’s ex wife Pam (Lisa Pickard). Another feather in the female cap of what, of course, is a male dominated production, is the wonderfully comic, piano player Jeanette A. Burmeister, skillfully portrayed by Claire Robinson. This ageing trouper, who helps the strip act during their rehearsals, recalls brushes with Frank Sinatra and Buddy Greco and, from the moment that she emerges from behind the piano, dominates the stage.
With a tremendous band, under the direction of Michael Cullen, extremely well designed scenery and props, superb lighting effects, and some very cleverly designed costumes, this is not just a strip show – It’s the whole package!
***** Five Stars