All in good fun: Paramount Theatre goes all the way with ‘The Full Monty’
“The Full Monty” — 3 stars
Twenty-four years after its San Diego premiere, the question about “The Full Monty” final scene persists. Will the actors playing the former steelworkers turned amateur strippers bare it all in the service of art?
Folks want to know if the show lives up to its title, which is British slang for “everything” or “the full package” (pun intended). I can report that the big-hearted, deliciously naughty revival playing through Oct. 6 at Aurora’s Paramount Theatre does, courtesy of the brief, artfully conceived finale from director Jim Corti and lighting designer Heather Gilbert, who uses backlighting to excellent effect.
Fun, cheeky (pun intended) and R-rated, the musical by writer Terrence McNally and composer/lyricist David Yazbek is based on the 1997 British comedy about a ragtag group of unemployed steelworkers who form a male striptease troupe.
Reset from Sheffield, England, to Buffalo, New York, the musical centers on the down-and-very-nearly-out Jerry Lukowski (an anxious, affable Ben Mayne) who lost his job 18 months earlier when the steel mill closed. A divorced dad who shares custody of his 12-year-old son Nathan (William Daly and Ellis Myers alternate in the role) with ex-wife Pam (Rebecca Hurd), Jerry refuses to work in retail (unlike Pam and her friends, who understand that when times are tough, any job is better than no job).
When delinquent child-support payments threaten joint custody of Nathan, Jerry gets desperate. Inspired by Chippendales dancers raking in cash dancing for women at a local nightclub, Jerry proposes he and best friend Dave (Jared David Michael Grant) get into the striptease biz.
To that end, they enlist former co-workers and other jobless men for a one-night-only performance Jerry assures them will be a windfall. First to join is Malcolm (Adam Fane, a fine singer), a lonely young man who they dissuade from committing suicide in a gleefully macabre number consisting of suggestions for offing himself.
They engage as choreographer the factory’s former efficiency expert Harold (Jackson Evans), who hasn’t told his spendthrift wife, Vicki (Ann Delaney), he lost his job. Donald O’Connor wannabe Ethan (Diego Vazquez Gomez) and Noah (a lithe Bernard Dotson), a spry, Black senior with smooth dance moves who goes by the nickname “Horse,” complete the ensemble.
They’re joined by rehearsal pianist Jeanette (Liz Pazik, all sass and swagger), a vaudeville-style, showbiz vet who understands what these frustrated, humbled, emasculated and depressed men need. And it’s more than a job and a night in the spotlight.
They need hope, compassion and understanding. That’s what this motley group of men offer each other, and it’s what will help restore their self-worth and rebuild their lives.
That’s what “The Full Monty” is all about, exposing oneself to other people and connecting with them in order to heal. Sure, it’s a bit sentimental, but I’ll take hokey, bawdy, innuendo-filled fun over toxic masculinity anytime.
Yazbek’s pop-rock score, infused with 20th-century swing and Broadway flair, has several standout numbers. Among them is “Scrap,” the incisive beautifully harmonized opening number, Dotson’s scene-stealing “Big Black Man,” and Pazik’s terrific second act opener, the aptly titled “Jeanette’s Showbiz Number.”
Lastly, Veronica Garza earns kudos for her deft comedic timing as Georgie, Dave’s wife. Tor Campbell’s basketball-inspired choreography for the Act I finale “Michael Jordan’s Ball” also deserves mention, along with music director/conductor Kory Danielson and his top-tier 12-member orchestra.
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Location: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com
Showtimes: 1:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 6
Tickets: $28-$85
Running time: About 2 hours, 50 minutes, with intermission
Rating: For adults; contains sexual content, strong language, nudity