Dallas area theatre patrons were treated to a lively and quality community theatre interpretation of the 2000 Broadway musical, “The Full Monty” on Thursday evening, September 23, 2010, when Arlington Theatre played before a near full house.
The full monty explained
“The full monty,” a British idiom of unknown origin for “the real thing” or “not reduced in any way” took on new meaning after the release of the 1997 film by the same name. At the crux of the movie was the experiences of a group of out of work Sheffield steelworkers who reluctantly embark on learning to become male strippers. Thus “the full monty” came to be associated with removing every stitch of clothing or going fully nude.
The musical, an Americanized version of the story, set in Buffalo, New York, was adapted for the stage from the book, “The Full Monty” by Terrence McNally. The Tony nominated Broadway show that opened in 2000, has become popular grist for community theatre.
This local rendition, directed by Michael Serrecchia, delivered in every sense of the idiom included in its title. A bittersweet comedy, the show touched on some serious issues like child custody, depression, self-esteem and holding families together during the emotional and financial trials faced by the unemployed.
Review of The Full Monty musical
It was hard to know exactly what to expect upon learning that “The Full Monty” was coming to Arlington. After all, Dallas is in the conservative South smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt. The big question on the mind of everyone familiar with the Broadway show version must have been, would theater goers actually see “the full monty”?
Director Michael Serrecchia projected the play beyond the stage at the opening with an interesting and effective theatrical twist. Female cast members were positioned in the aisles and seats near patrons as the show opened to provide the texture and feel of a “girls night out” to a local male strip club.
Any doubts about whether actual nudity would be included were quickly dashed when to the delight of the ladies, professional Chippendale-style stripper, Keno (played by Shane Allen) stripped down to a g-string that fully exposed his buttocks.
As the production progresses, the down and out blue collar workers who lost their jobs with the closure of a local steel mill, hatch a plan to generate some much needed income by putting on their own one-night male stripper production of just ordinary guys. When ticket sales lag, Jerry (played by Bryan Lewis), the catalyst behind the whole stripper idea, to differentiate his group of amateurs from the professionals boasts that his group will be doing “the full monty” by taking it all off.
In the interest of not giving away the entire plot, suffice to say that a good bit of male nudity was dished out to the audience. Those in attendance, especially the females not only seemed comfortable with the display of skin but actually seemed rather appreciative. Far from just a cheap gimmick, the tasteful nudity featured was integral to the storyline which likely explained why it was comfortably received.
Bryan Lewis (Jerry), Alex Krus (Dave) and Cathy Pritchett (Jeanette) who plays a hard-nosed, hard-drinking former professional show biz musician who eschews her rocking chair to join the gang and help out the guys as piano player, turned in sterling performances. That being said, all of the principals in the troupe performed near flawlessly, making their characters spring to life and were all worthy of praise.
Imaginative sets, effective lighting and some stirring music combined to give added dimension and effect to performance. The only criticism that can be offered of the show was that some of the vocals feel a bit short as it seemed evident that at times certain cast members were stretched to the limits of their singing abilities. Yet this very minor flaw was more than made up for by the quality of the acting.
It isn’t too late to catch a performance of this engaging local production. Performances remain each Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the show closes on Sunday, October 10, 2010. Visit the Arlington Theatre website for further information, show times or ticket purchases.
Value of nudity in art
Productions like “The Full Monty” that include tasteful nudity, especially male nudity, I think help some people to see nudity in a more normative and inoffensive way. Without a doubt, it is understood that the intent of Arlington Theatre was merely to present an entertaining show. I am under no illusion that there was any intent to make a statement in favor of nudity. Yet one must applaud them for doing this type of show given that nudity remains quite a taboo here in Dallas. Hopefully, someday the people of Dallas will learn to feel less uptight about the naked human body and can show the same tolerance for nudity that it seemed these theatre patrons did on Thursday evening.
Comments