“The Full Monty” is a musical about six laid-off men who, in a desperate attempt to make money, put together a Chippendales-like show. Unlike Chippendale’s dancers, these six men are hardly “stripper material.” Against their fears and expectations, they comically hold auditions and practices for their show, “Hot Metal.” Based on the film of the same name, this musical has laughs for both sexes, as well as relevant cultural insights. The setting took the audience to Buffalo, New York.

An orange brick wall sprawled from one end of the stage to the other. This wall was used for the Chippendale’s strip club, as well as other buildings throughout Brooklyn. Whether a bathroom, a dance studio, a bedroom, a police station, this wall was a believable backdrop for the various settings. Live musicians played above these walls. These musicians never stopped playing between scene changes. The jazzy music they played helped keep the audience focused on the story.

The musical starts out with steel workers being informed that they are getting laid off. Even though this musical is based on a 1997 film, this scene is unfortunately relevant to today. In the first song, “Scrap,” the main six men are introduced. This song told the audience about these men’s lives. In each man’s life, there are financial fears, as well as rocky relationships. From there, the audience is taken through an unpredictable roller coaster of six men’s pursuit to put on a strip show for thousands of strangers. As Jerry Lukowski, Zachary Lahey gave a relatable performance.

Jerry desires to have a stable job where he makes enough money to live comfortably. Despite his economic hardships and struggle to pay child support, he still strives to be a positive example for his son. Lahey’s performance reflected these aspects. In the song “Scrap,” Lahey cocked his head when Jerry sang that he was “fed up, frustrated, angry.” This movement illustrated how Jerry is not going to let rough economic times cause him to give up hope. Lahey’s portrayal of Jerry’s softer side was also compelling.

When Jerry talks with his son, Nathan (Jacob Braden), the chemistry between the two actors conveyed an unbreakable bond. In the song “Breeze Off the River,” Jerry reflects on how he pictures a better life whenever he looks at his son. When Jerry sang “All I know is I love you kid,” Lahey’s proud visage revealed that Jerry was dependent on his son for hope. As Dave Bukatinsky, Jeffrey King was hilarious.

The first person who Jerry recruits for his strip show is Dave Bukatinsky. Dave experiences more relationship troubles than financial ones. Since he is hefty and less attractive than the Chippendale’s dancers, he fears that his wife does not find him attractive. Dave is doubtful that Jerry’s plan will work, and reluctantly agrees to lose weight and practice dancing for “Hot Metal.” King’s performance reflected these aspects of Dave. King also brought plenty of laughs to the audience. When Dave states “Why Jerry, I didn’t think you cared,” King thrusted his belly out as he jumped across the stage toward Jerry. Seeing King throw his weight around made the audience cackle hysterically.

When Dave tells Jerry “You’re a nut. I’ve got to do dishes,” King’s flabbergasted tone made the audience share his opinion of Jerry’s plan. When Dave struggles to wrap saran wrap around his body, and instantaneously seek to hide it from his wife, King’s rapid fidgeting made the audience roar with laughter. Seeing Dave’s “Lucky Charms” boxers also roused guffaws from the audience. Even though this musical is primarily happy-go-lucky, it has two important messages.

One of the messages of this musical is that women are not inferior to men. In this musical, the women wear expensive dresses, and hold positions at a business. Georgie (Carol Vendemo-Ruff), Dave’s wife, wears a bright orange and detailed shirt, and silver jewelry. The other women wear black dresses, top hats and necklaces. Jerry wears Budweiser t-shirts, jeans, and a brown jacket. Dave wears a blue hoodie, a white shirt, and dark running shorts. In the song “A Women’s World,” the men’s wives celebrate the newfound freedom and power at being the primary financial providers for their families.

In the song “The Goods,” the men look at underwear models in a magazine and discuss how “hot” they are. As they think about their upcoming strip show, the men realize that women evaluate men’s bodies just as they evaluate the models in the magazine. The women then come onto the stage, dance around the men, and sing at how these males’ bodies are not made of “the goods” of attractive males. This song reveals the fact that men and women are equally critical of the opposite sex in determining who is attractive.

The other message of this musical is that, regardless of what television or other media portray as “attractive,” what truly matters is who we are inside, and the relationships we make. In the song “You Rule My World,” two wives sing to their husbands that, no matter what they look like on the outside, the love the couples share goes beyond anything superficial. The cast and crew gave the audience “the whole thing” and so much more.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Theater.
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