Published: Friday, October 29, 2010
Village Theatre’s ‘The Full Monty,’ while great fun, is for adults only
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Village Theatre photo
Cast members of “The Full Monty” performs its climactic scene.
It’s difficult not to shout “Hats off to the Village Theatre” for this rowdy, ribald, hilarious production of “The Full Monty,” which opens tonight at the Everett Performing Arts Center.
But keep the hats on, please.
The musical by Terrence McNally is based on the 1997 British film about unemployed steel workers seeking a way to make some quick money and patch up their personal lives. Although the film’s story was set to music in 2000, it’s pertinent today as the beefy Buffalo factory workers have all hit, uh, bottom in a sagging economy.
Jerry and his friend Dave hatch a scheme to become male strippers when they spy on the women in their lives tucking in handfuls of cash at a Chippendale-style club.
Jerry, aptly played by Dane Stokinger, is a divorced dad who owes child support and is trying to prove to his 10-year-old son that he’s not a loser. Dave (Kevin High) is adding pounds by the day to his already chubby frame watching daytime TV and occasionally vacuuming.
The other recruits include “Horse” (Terence Kelley), a black guy who hobbles in with a cane and breaks into a wild funky chicken; Ethan (Troy Wageman) whose only dance experience is attempting to walk up the walls a la Donald O’Connor; mousy Malcolm (Michael Nicholas) who thinks he’s failed his invalid mother; and Harold (Bob De Dea), who hasn’t told his extravagant wife that he lost his job six months ago.
The rousing rock music and sassy lyrics of David Yazbek move the plot along as the men try to learn the moves, gather their courage and deal with their inner turmoil.
The opening number, “Scrap,” sets the tone as the men bemoan their lost jobs and lost loves. “Big Black Man” brings down the house as Horse and the men begin to hit their stride.
Enter Jeanette, the over-the-hill piano player, played by Ellen McLain, who nails the role with her orangey Phyllis Diller hair, purple and red polyesters, and sturdy white tennies. McLain delivers hysterical one-liners with a straight face and a cigarette bouncing on her lip.
Jeanette marshals the motley crew and gets them all in step by telling them to think basketball moves, and the first act closes with the lively “Michael Jordan’s Ball.”
Each of the men takes a star turn on a dimmed stage with touching numbers that turn tears of laughter to quiet sniffles. Michael Nicholas’ mournful elegy, “You Walk With Me,” shows off his classical background with the Dallas and Fort Worth operas and the New York Pops.
The Village Theatre’s usual professional production values include the industrial-looking stage setting for the factory, which cleverly and easily switches to strip-club glitz with a tinsel curtain or a darkened living room as a couch and lamp glide in.
“The Full Monty” is ably directed and choreographed by Jerry Dixon, who also was at the Village Theatre’s helm for “Show Boat” and “Barnstormers.”
So are you going to see “The Full Monty”? In the interests of full disclosure, there’s (almost) full disclosure.
“The Full Monty”
Note: Because of language, sexual innuendo and nudity, this play is not recommended for children.
The show opens at 8 tonight and runs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 21, and 7 p.m. all Sundays except Nov. 21. Tickets are $19 to $54 and may be purchased at the Everett Performing Arts Center box office, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. Call 425-257-8600 or 888-257-3722, or purchase online at www.villagetheatre.org.
But keep the hats on, please.
The musical by Terrence McNally is based on the 1997 British film about unemployed steel workers seeking a way to make some quick money and patch up their personal lives. Although the film’s story was set to music in 2000, it’s pertinent today as the beefy Buffalo factory workers have all hit, uh, bottom in a sagging economy.
Jerry and his friend Dave hatch a scheme to become male strippers when they spy on the women in their lives tucking in handfuls of cash at a Chippendale-style club.
Jerry, aptly played by Dane Stokinger, is a divorced dad who owes child support and is trying to prove to his 10-year-old son that he’s not a loser. Dave (Kevin High) is adding pounds by the day to his already chubby frame watching daytime TV and occasionally vacuuming.
The other recruits include “Horse” (Terence Kelley), a black guy who hobbles in with a cane and breaks into a wild funky chicken; Ethan (Troy Wageman) whose only dance experience is attempting to walk up the walls a la Donald O’Connor; mousy Malcolm (Michael Nicholas) who thinks he’s failed his invalid mother; and Harold (Bob De Dea), who hasn’t told his extravagant wife that he lost his job six months ago.
The rousing rock music and sassy lyrics of David Yazbek move the plot along as the men try to learn the moves, gather their courage and deal with their inner turmoil.
The opening number, “Scrap,” sets the tone as the men bemoan their lost jobs and lost loves. “Big Black Man” brings down the house as Horse and the men begin to hit their stride.
Enter Jeanette, the over-the-hill piano player, played by Ellen McLain, who nails the role with her orangey Phyllis Diller hair, purple and red polyesters, and sturdy white tennies. McLain delivers hysterical one-liners with a straight face and a cigarette bouncing on her lip.
Jeanette marshals the motley crew and gets them all in step by telling them to think basketball moves, and the first act closes with the lively “Michael Jordan’s Ball.”
Each of the men takes a star turn on a dimmed stage with touching numbers that turn tears of laughter to quiet sniffles. Michael Nicholas’ mournful elegy, “You Walk With Me,” shows off his classical background with the Dallas and Fort Worth operas and the New York Pops.
The Village Theatre’s usual professional production values include the industrial-looking stage setting for the factory, which cleverly and easily switches to strip-club glitz with a tinsel curtain or a darkened living room as a couch and lamp glide in.
“The Full Monty” is ably directed and choreographed by Jerry Dixon, who also was at the Village Theatre’s helm for “Show Boat” and “Barnstormers.”
So are you going to see “The Full Monty”? In the interests of full disclosure, there’s (almost) full disclosure.
“The Full Monty”
Note: Because of language, sexual innuendo and nudity, this play is not recommended for children.
The show opens at 8 tonight and runs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 21, and 7 p.m. all Sundays except Nov. 21. Tickets are $19 to $54 and may be purchased at the Everett Performing Arts Center box office, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. Call 425-257-8600 or 888-257-3722, or purchase online at www.villagetheatre.org.
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