2005 Year in Review

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THE FULL MONTY IS FULL OF FUN!

Every time I head up Route 78 to Timber Lake Playhouse I’m hopeful and optimistic this is going to be a great play. Their third production of the year, The Full Monty, hit the mark with a bull’s eye. It was fun and entertaining from the very first stripper scene to the final full Monty.

How desperate would you have to be to take all your clothes off in front of your friends, family, and neighbors? These six strippers are desperate. Jerry Lukowski, played by the talented Adam Henry (a newcomer to TLP), is an out-of-work factory worker from Buffalo that must raise overdue child support payments or he’ll lose custody of his son Nathan, played by Steven Johnson. He’s desperate. His best friend Dave Bukatinsky, played by the very funny Taylor Buice (Moonface Martin from Anything Goes) is depressed and unhappy because he’s out of work. His marriage is in trouble and he’s desperate. You get the picture. They need money, they need a job, and they don’t want to work at Wal-mart.

After all the local women spend their hard earned wages watching the Chippendales, the two men decide they could make big money stripping. But who would want to watch the average man, “too fat, too skinny, or too ugly”. But if they do the full Monty everyone will want to watch. Do they do the full Monty on TLP stage? You’ll have to buy a ticket and find out.

All six strippers were excellent. Harold Nichols, played by Clay Sanderson, is a manager from the plant who hasn’t told his wife he’s out of work. Andrew Parker Greenwood (returning from last season Cats, Hair, and Anything Goes) is right on playing a suicidal nerd. Daniel Riley, Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Ragtime, steals the first act with the song “Big Black Man”. Justin Banta is hilarious as he tries to move like Fred Astaire.

I loved the set and costumes. The simple wall of glass gave us the feeling of an abandoned factory. The costumes for the women were bright and just plain fun, from their neon green fishnets to their bright colored dresses and accessories. One of the best parts of the night was the live music in the background, much better than canned music.

The Full Monty is “naughty, the language is a little gruff…and it’s a perfectly realistic portrayal of the people living in any American blue-collar community” explains director Brad Lyons.

If you go to one play this summer, make it The Full Monty. This is live local theater at it’s best. TLP usually has one don’t miss outstanding performance per season and this one is it. Get your reservations in right away because this musical is sure to be sold out. I could easily see this production a second time.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
July 1, 2005