An audience comprised of 90% women? Hardly surprising when Gary Lucy is getting his kit off…
Taking The Full Monty from screen to stage sounds like an easy task, but unlike the 1997 film there is much less scope for a set. Based in the old factory/warehouse where Gaz (Gary Lucy) and Dave (Martin Miller) used to work, various parts of scenery are switched in to provide all locations. This works fairly well, although some of the scenes’ impact is lost as a result.
The original music from the film remains and (of course) this allows the audience to join in, clapping and cheering Hot Chocolate and Tom Jones.
Acting isn’t amazing and it’s nowhere near as good as the film, but the charm of the story and the personalities of the characters prevail.
Gary Lucy is a cocky, cheeky happy and every time his shirt off the wolf whistles are deafening. Naturally, I was one of the instigators… Let’s face it, the show would have to make a lot of mistakes for this to be anything but enjoyable.
When the men finally perform what we all came to see, the audience go crazy – whooping, clapping and screeching. The choreography is excellent – hats off (pun intended) to Ian West – but of course the stripping gets us all going and it is marvellous.
The Full Monty is a bit of a ridiculous show, in fact it’s like the game of Mousetrap. You spend ages playing the game, just so you can see the trap in action. But I’ll be honest, this ending, just like catching the mouse, is worth the wait!
Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes
The Full Monty is on tour around the UK. Click here to see if it is coming to a venue near you!
