The Full Monty
Titusville Playhouse Inc.
Review by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
What happens when six unemployed, average-Joes lose all hope of finding new jobs and reach the end of their ropes? Do they take jobs in a different field? Commit suicide? Turn to a life of crime? They take the most logical avenue available. They become male strippers, of course! Who wouldn't?
This is the type of silliness that sets the foundation for the Titusville Playhouse Inc.'s production of "The Full Monty."
Charismatic and much-loved General Manager and Artistic Director of the Titusville Playhouse Steven Heron welcomed another full house with the warning, "We have a special drink for tonight's show. It's called Puckered Balls. If that offends you, you should leave now."
Even though we did not actually see puckered balls in the show - just a back-lit silhouette of some - we did see eight naked butts by my count.
This Americanized version of "The Full Monty" follows the exploits of six out-of-work men in Buffalo, New York. Their lives are falling apart in every way imaginable and even suicide starts to look better than the depressing place fate has brought them.
When they walk past a club where Chippendales male strippers are performing to a sold-out audience, the unemployed, average-Joes decide that there is no reason they can't do what the Chippendales strippers do. And - they can do it even better.
Since the Chippendales dancers only strip down to a thong, the team of guys decide on a gimmick to attract their own audience and earn $50,000. They will strip The Full Monty. They will go completely nude.
Actually, they will and then they won't and then they will and they won't again. Do they have the courage to follow through and bare it all?
Jerry, Dave, Ethan, Harold, Malcolm and "Horse" create a dance team to hone their skills and find Jeanette Burmeister - a chain-smoking, wisecracking pianist who once had her fingers broken after criticizing Frank Sinatra. Karen MacDonald portrays Burmeister to perfection.
Songs include:
James Berkely portrays Noah "Horse" T. Simmons. Berkely owns the best vocals of the cast and his solo "Big Black Man" is the highlight of the First Act. If that isn't impressive enough, Berkely also choreographed the song.
The show also looks at more serious subjects like divorce, unemployment, parental rights, depression, impotence, homosexuality, self esteem and suicide in between the laughs and songs.
The "Let it Go" final number is definitely the highlight of the Second Act as the guys summon the courage to go The Full Monty.
Toward the end of the song, they guys yank off their pants to reveal they are wearing only the skimpiest of thongs. Their six bare butts are center stage for all to see.
In the climactic final seconds, the thongs are removed and the guys face the audience holding hats over their genitals. Just as the average-Joes lift their hats to reveal themselves completely buck-naked on stage, the lights cut and the stage goes black except for some mild backlighting.
The audience roared in approval.
If you can handle off-color language, bare butts and almost-but-not-quite, full-frontal nudity, you will love The Full Monty at the Titusville Playhouse.
The Full Monty runs September 25 through October 18, 2015.
For more information, visit http://titusvilleplayhouse.com/home
The Titusville Playhouse is located at 301 Julia Street
Titusville, FL 32796
Call 321-268-1125 for tickets or information.
For more information about things to see and do in Brevard County, Florida, visit http://www.brevardcounty.us/Visitors
Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong. Copyright 2015 Sunny Harbor Publishing. www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org. Contact Us: Sunny Harbor Publishing, PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956. Phone: 321-446-7552. Email: [email protected].
Keywords: The Full Monty, titusvilleplayhouse.com, Titusville Playhouse, James Berkely, Karen MacDonald, Steven Heron, Steven Skelley, Thomas Routzong, Sunny Harbor Publishing, theater review, Family Travelers Magazine, Brevard County, Space Coast, Titusville, FL,
Titusville Playhouse Inc.
Review by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
What happens when six unemployed, average-Joes lose all hope of finding new jobs and reach the end of their ropes? Do they take jobs in a different field? Commit suicide? Turn to a life of crime? They take the most logical avenue available. They become male strippers, of course! Who wouldn't?
This is the type of silliness that sets the foundation for the Titusville Playhouse Inc.'s production of "The Full Monty."
Charismatic and much-loved General Manager and Artistic Director of the Titusville Playhouse Steven Heron welcomed another full house with the warning, "We have a special drink for tonight's show. It's called Puckered Balls. If that offends you, you should leave now."
Even though we did not actually see puckered balls in the show - just a back-lit silhouette of some - we did see eight naked butts by my count.
This Americanized version of "The Full Monty" follows the exploits of six out-of-work men in Buffalo, New York. Their lives are falling apart in every way imaginable and even suicide starts to look better than the depressing place fate has brought them.
When they walk past a club where Chippendales male strippers are performing to a sold-out audience, the unemployed, average-Joes decide that there is no reason they can't do what the Chippendales strippers do. And - they can do it even better.
Since the Chippendales dancers only strip down to a thong, the team of guys decide on a gimmick to attract their own audience and earn $50,000. They will strip The Full Monty. They will go completely nude.
Actually, they will and then they won't and then they will and they won't again. Do they have the courage to follow through and bare it all?
Jerry, Dave, Ethan, Harold, Malcolm and "Horse" create a dance team to hone their skills and find Jeanette Burmeister - a chain-smoking, wisecracking pianist who once had her fingers broken after criticizing Frank Sinatra. Karen MacDonald portrays Burmeister to perfection.
Songs include:
- Scrap
- It's a Woman's World
- Man
- Big-Ass Rock
- Life with Harold
- Big Black Man
- You Rule My World
- Michael Jordan's Ball
- Jeanette's Showbiz Number
- Breeze Odd the River
- The Goods
- You Walk With Me
- Let it Go
James Berkely portrays Noah "Horse" T. Simmons. Berkely owns the best vocals of the cast and his solo "Big Black Man" is the highlight of the First Act. If that isn't impressive enough, Berkely also choreographed the song.
The show also looks at more serious subjects like divorce, unemployment, parental rights, depression, impotence, homosexuality, self esteem and suicide in between the laughs and songs.
The "Let it Go" final number is definitely the highlight of the Second Act as the guys summon the courage to go The Full Monty.
Toward the end of the song, they guys yank off their pants to reveal they are wearing only the skimpiest of thongs. Their six bare butts are center stage for all to see.
In the climactic final seconds, the thongs are removed and the guys face the audience holding hats over their genitals. Just as the average-Joes lift their hats to reveal themselves completely buck-naked on stage, the lights cut and the stage goes black except for some mild backlighting.
The audience roared in approval.
If you can handle off-color language, bare butts and almost-but-not-quite, full-frontal nudity, you will love The Full Monty at the Titusville Playhouse.
The Full Monty runs September 25 through October 18, 2015.
For more information, visit http://titusvilleplayhouse.com/home
The Titusville Playhouse is located at 301 Julia Street
Titusville, FL 32796
Call 321-268-1125 for tickets or information.
For more information about things to see and do in Brevard County, Florida, visit http://www.brevardcounty.us/Visitors
Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong. Copyright 2015 Sunny Harbor Publishing. www.SunnyHarborPublishing.org. Contact Us: Sunny Harbor Publishing, PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956. Phone: 321-446-7552. Email: [email protected].
Keywords: The Full Monty, titusvilleplayhouse.com, Titusville Playhouse, James Berkely, Karen MacDonald, Steven Heron, Steven Skelley, Thomas Routzong, Sunny Harbor Publishing, theater review, Family Travelers Magazine, Brevard County, Space Coast, Titusville, FL,
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