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directed by John Hudson, Review by Alan Scott Monday, November 5,2007 Christchurch Press

Blokes' strip not art, but definitely entertaining

Before you ask, yes they do-and if you are lucky you just might catch a glimpse
in the half light before the blackout.

The Full Monty is the musical where six male cast members cast their members before the audience, and all for the sake of art. Although art would be too strong a word: the musical has none of the gritty realism and essential truth of the film. Shifted from Sheffield to Buffalo in the good old USA, it loses the self-deprecating, wry humour in the move, preferring to garner the laughs from crude language and cheap shots. But does anybody care?

The audience laughed and cheered as the boys made their reluctant journey from steel workers to strippers. There is something both sweetly endearing yet outrageously funny in the idea of six working class blokes doffing their daks out of pure desperation as the female hordes urge them on.The first half seemed a somewhat uneven affair. It was all noise and energy and little truth, with many of the cast simply trying too hard - the difference, I guess, between amateur and professional. The Showbiz production was a real winner in the second half, when everything seemed to work to perfection. The sound balance seemed better, the music and songs more telling and Shaun Edwards-Brown and Nic Eason, as the main characters, came into their stride and settled things down. The rest of the cast were flying, too, and everything from choreography to acting to singing blended in a marvelous drive to the magic ending when the cast let it all hang out and the audience roared them on.

The Full Monty

Based on the popular motion picture
Book by Terrance McNally
Music and lyrics by David Yazbek
Directed by John Hudson
Musical Direction; Luke di Somma
Choreography: Glen Harris
SHOWBIZ CHRISTCHURCH
At Repertory Theatre, Christchurch
From 3 Nov 2007 to 10 Nov 2007
[2 hrs 40 mins, incl. interval]
Reviewed by Lindsay Clark, 10 Nov 2007


Good stories lend themselves to reinvention. A Kiwi springboard from a similar idea gave us Ladies Night. With the effervescent American musical version of this buddy yarn, the raw grittiness of the English film is transcended by all the things a musical can do best, into a different beast altogether. Here are in yer face colour, light and upbeat musical numbers coupled with inventive choreography and real live flesh. At the heart of good stories of course are the human values and concerns which make them successful in the first place.

John Hudson plays up the sexy humour and twiddles with the heartstrings at every turn, as what is basically a very simple story detours into sentimental territory. Six desperate and unemployed fellas gradually formulate a strip show, rehearse it and perform to a wildly enthusiastic audience. On their way to being resolute and baring their all, the blokes tangle and untangle relationships as well as providing very funny moments and a scattering of tender ones.

Showbiz Christchurch has pulled out all the stops for this production and the theatre fairly rocks when the big numbers unthrottle. Energy rules. Harold Moot's set glides in or down, the stage lights swing and colour all moves, and the cast maintains a reckless pace, driving on to that teasing moment when the daks are down.

Luke di Somma in the pit is in assured control, keeping the momentum well fuelled. There is a strong lineup to receive the enthusiastic applause at the curtain call. Shaun Edwards-Brown as Jerry Lukowski, at the centre of things, earned every moment of it. Rebecca Browning brought a vivid stage and vocal presence to the role of Georgia Bukatinsky and Kura Geere-Watson as rehearsal pianist Jeanette Burmeister is a knockout. 'Loosen up,' is the catch cry as the evening unzips. All that lively colour and music ensure that the audience does just that.