Image via Skylight Music Theatre
The Full Monty
The familiar phrase, “less is more,” takes on such a different meaning when it involves the new production opening the 2021-2022 at the Skylight Music Theatre, The Full Monty. (For the uninitiated, “full monty” is British slang for a striptease performance with full nudity involving a man).
The popular Broadway musical turned 1997 hit movie features a switch up with men now in the role of the strippers playing to “girls gone wild” female audiences. And in case you’re wondering, here that means less clothing turns into more “reveals.”
“Even though many people know this show primarily for its last millisecond [brief nudity], there is so much heart and soul and music and dance and brilliantly woven stories preceding it,” explains Skylight Artistic Director Michael Unger. “As with the Broadway production—we will be doing ‘the full monty’ with these six men baring it all. But we do have lights strategically placed—light and shadow—polar opposites, but elements that work so well together. Much like the six men at the center of this musical.”
Delighting Audiences
The men are six unemployed British steelworkers who need to find work. And in this case, “work” is well, what works, much to delight of their ecstatic audiences. The Full Monty takes the traditional stereotype of the female stripper and flips it around with men now sexualized as the “objects of desire.” However, playwright Terrence McNally has fully realized these characters as more than just “beefcake at a cattle call” of bump and grind, strutting about while the women scream and shout.
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“The catalyst for all things that lead to ‘the full monty’ is a love story between a father and a son. And there are many other kinds of love stories in the show,” says. Unger. “My favorite type of hero is the unwitting one; and this story has plenty of those. It means that the potential for greatness lies within all of us. The extra beauty of this show is that these men need each other to achieve a goal they may not have known was their destiny when the musical starts.”
Another unknown development was the Age of Pandemic putting a stop to this and many other shows. Directors changed with James Gray now directing and also choreographing this production. Eventually, the show must go on—and now it is. And that’s reason enough to celebrate in these times.
“I remember the emotion in the room when we had our first auditions – performers came out in droves and were so excited to be back in the building,” he points out. “Much like the gents in the show (yes, that’s a theme here), we cannot get through this challenging time in our history without each other.”
The Full Monty runs Sept. 24 through Oct. 17 in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. This production contains adult themes and very brief nudity.
Skylight Music Theatre requires proof of vaccination or negative Covid test within 72 hours of performance for all audience members ages 12 and up. In addition, Skylight requires audiences to be masked at all times while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
For more information on the Skylight 2021-2022 season, call the Box Office at: 414-291-7800, or visit: skylightmusictheatre.org.
