BWW Reviews: Woodlawn Bares Their Funny Bone with FULL MONTY

American Musical Theater has tackled many an important topic in less than 100 years. Showboat tackles racism. Cabaret tackles Nazi Germany. I want to tackle anyone who claims that Les Miserables is about the French Revolution (spoiler alert: it's not). And then there's The Full Monty, a hugely underrated musical about male strippers. While it certainly doesn't have the lofty goals of some shows, The Full Monty easily accomplishes its goal to entertain. It's a silly, raunchy, foul-mouthed good time at the theater. High brow it's not, but high entertainment it is, and Woodlawn Theatre's current production of The Full Monty will have you hooting, hollering, and digging for singles.

The musical, based on the cult-classic British film from 1997, follows the movie with a few minor changes, the most notable one being the Buffalo, New York setting of the stage version vs. the Sheffield, England setting of the film. With a contemporary, pop/rock influenced score by David Yazbek (played to perfection by Woodlawn's band) and a hilarious script by Terrence McNally, The Full Monty follows the story of six unemployed steel workers who decide to perform in a one night only male strip show to rake in some much needed cash.

Director Dave Cortez, who proved to be a master of comedy with his production of Woodlawn's recent 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is definitely in his comfort zone with this show. The silly plot and zany characters come to life through Cortez's direction. Though Cortez is easily able to highlight the show's moments of tenderness and sentimentality, it's clear that he enjoys letting the characters get raunchy and dirty. You're bound to remember the penis jokes more than the moments of true emotion, and that seems to be the point. Carla Sankey's choreography matches Cortez's direction beautifully. Her routines are energetic, complex, and often add to the humor.

The set, designed by Kurt Wehner and Benjamin Grabill, is a work of wonder as well. With its dilapidated warehouse look and its multiple rotating panels, it's perhaps the largest and most complex set seen on the Woodlawn Stage in years, but it's effective and often allows for set changes to complete long before the set change music finishes. Chris Muenchow's lighting is quite good as well, especially during the musical numbers, and Stevie Leigh's costumes, particularly for the women, are lots of fun.

A show as kooky as The Full Monty would fail miserably without a strong cast of comedic actors and actresses, and thankfully this cast has humor and wit by the truckload. The ensemble is stellar, and though they may not have much stage time, Duncan Tomich and Melissa Barrera Gonzalez create interesting and unique takes on the wives that aren't quite sure what their men are up to. As Jerry, the ringleader of the band of misfit male strippers, Anthony Cortino takes a while to warm up to, but that's really due to the character rather than Cortino himself. Cortino has a pleasant voice and is a strong actor, but unfortunately his manipulative, self-serving character isn't terribly likable until Act II. As Jerry's best friend Dave, Benjamin Scharff gives an impressive performance and a welcome foil to Jerry's cockiness and arrogance. Marc Daratt is fine as the tightly-wound Harold. Walter Songer, last seen in Spelling Bee, gives a solid turn as Malcolm, the nerdy one of the bunch, and Sean Hagdorn is hysterical as the ditzy Ethan.

Like most comedies, though, there are two scene stealers in this production. Rebecca Trinidad is sidesplitting as the no nonsense, seen-it-all piano player, Jeanette, and her Act II opener is a huge crowd-pleaser. And as Horse, the group's only Black member, Garyon Ray Judon is a riot. His big number, "Big Black Man," brings down the house, as does his ridiculously strong voice and his smooth dance moves.

While due to subject matter alone, The Full Monty may not be for everyone (this is not one to take grandma to), this production is a must see for anyone looking for a cool, hip musical that delivers laugh after laugh. The Full Monty is the full package.

Photos by Siggi Ragnar.

Run time: Approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

NOTE: Due to language and partial nudity, THE FULL MONTY is recommended for mature audiences.

THE FULL MONTY plays The Woodlawn Theatre now thru March 17^th. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm. "Broadway Nights," Woodlawn's free cabaret, follows each Saturday night performance at approximately 10:45pm.

Tickets are $23.

For more information, please visit www.woodlawntheatre.com

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