The Full Monty

The auditorium was full of a predominantly female audience, buzzing with excitement as the show started.  They were shocked to find an American show, and were quite vocal throughout so the cast did well to keep focus despite distractions.

A simple set, obviously designed to fit with the limitations of the studio space. The sliding panels were practical, and projection was used a couple of times to set the scene. Despite the minimalistic set, scene changes seemed slower than necessary and perhaps the music could have covered these a little better.

Jerry Lukowski was played by Peter Spilling, no stranger to the role having played it for various groups over the years.  Peter handled the role with confidence, and we could see the turmoil Jerry goes through during the show.  Helen Arber handled the role of Pam Lukowski fantastically. We could see that Pam still cared for Jerry, but that she had run out of ways to support him and had turned to wanting the best for their son, Nathan.  Pam commanded the stage and was very natural to watch, with a lovely voice.  Mattie Scott played Jerry and Pam’s son Nathan, he was suitably cheeky but also we saw how much he wanted his dad to succeed. Jerry gave us some touching moments, particularly Breeze Off The River -  this was really well sung.

Simon Brett played Dave Bukatinsky, again a serial performer of this role, it was clear that he and Peter had a strong friendship. Simon had great comic timing, and a really good relationship with the audience, including us in the some of the scenes with a simple look. Simon had a great relationship with his on-stage wife Georgie played by Sophie Lines.  Sophie and Simon had great chemistry on stage, it was nice to see the contrast in their feelings for each other and hear them sing together in Rule My World.

Dominic Light as Malcolm Macgregor was perfect casting.  He handled the nervous role with strength, and we could see the genuine delight in Big Ass Rock when he realised he now had friends. Dominic’s voice is so crisp and clear, a real pleasure to listen to.  Malcolm’s relationship with Ethan Girard, played by Bradley Cole, was lovely to watch develop.  We really felt all the emotions as Ethan and Malcolm climb through the window together laughing, then that moment where they almost kiss broken by the realisation by Malcolm that he can’t hear his mother.  The funeral scene was beautifully done, a combination of just the right humour with the rest of the group dancing but sensitivity to the relationships. The moment when Ethan gives Malcolm’s hand a squeeze in the middle of You Walk With Me brought a tear to my eye, a very touching moment well done to you both. A special mention to Bradley for his determination to run up the wall – despite clearly hurting himself, he continued with no hesitation. His acting at being concussed was very realistic!

Jason Norton and Sara Mortimer played Harold and Vicki Nichols; Harold was the slightly henpecked husband who lies to his wife about losing his job which Jason achieved well.  Sara sang Life with Harold with a great energy and style. Jason gave a good performance as the frustrated dance teacher for ‘Hot Metal’!

Noah (Horse) T Simmons was played by Julian Harris, a natural performer with great comic timing and a brilliant ability to stage a convincing fall! Julian delivered Big Black Man with ease, and held our attention with his dance moves.

Jeanette Burmeister, the pianist that no one seems to know where she came from was played by Natalie Schultz. It was clear that Natalie had a great time with this role, and she gave us some distinct character choices, complimented by her physicality and even her costume!

Well done to the supporting cast playing the other workers: the ‘pro’ stripper, the locals, police etc without you the show couldn’t have worked the way it did.  The Goods was a great number, staged well and sung really well by all involved. Definitely one of my favourites.

Accents were generally good, with lots who sounded very natural and consistent; a few could have done with some more work.

The band, under the watchful command of Ian Myers, sounded great. The balance with the voices was sometimes little loud, but this couldn’t be helped as the cast weren’t mic’ed. Sound was limited by the space, there were microphones hung over the main space but I’m not sure how much these were able to amplify the singing on stage.  The lighting was good, some really nice use of the spots.  There were a few times where the cast had a lot of shadows on their faces, but again this may be to do with the limitations of the venue.  The blinders along the edges of the stairs were there to cover the strip routine, blinding the audience and just showing a silhouette – this almost worked, I suspect some of the audience saw everything!

A fantastic end to the show is Let It Go, one of my favourite songs and performed effortlessly by the main company and ensemble, complete with The Full Monty! Very daring and I daresay empowering to those involved. Congratulations on a wonderful production.

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