- Byron Taylor
- From left, Douglas Hammon, Jeremiah Herman, Frank Butler, Justin Pike, Terry Harrison and Jacob Sturgeon star in The Weekend Theater’s production of “The Full Monty.”
‘THE FULL MONTY’
7:30 p.m. The Weekend Theater. $16-$20.
Judging from the volume and pitch of the shrieking laughter the mere mention of the film “Magic Mike” elicited from a gaggle of ladies here at the office, there is a market for watching dudes take their clothes off. Of course, actor and former male stripper Channing Tatum, who stars in “Magic Mike,” is a good bit more chiseled than your average Joe.
But perhaps the ladies might also be inclined to watch average Joes disrobe while gyrating to dance music.
That’s the central premise of “The Full Monty,” a musical based on the 1997 hit British film. The stage version is in Buffalo, N.Y., but the story is similar: a group of unemployed blue-collar guys get their grooves back and earn a little scratch by taking it all off. According to director Bob Bidewell, the cast of The Weekend Theater‘s production won’t be totally in the buff.
“By law we can’t ‘bare all’ due to ABC regulations. They do remove all garments but are covered by their police hats and a blinding light cue at the very end,” he wrote, “exactly as it was done at The Rep.”
The show’s themes about unemployment, economic hardship and how these struggles affect the male psyche are certainly relevant, given the prolonged economic doldrums the country can’t seem to escape. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 4.