Last night I went down to the Regent Theatre in Stoke for press night of The Full Monty UK Tour – a stage adaptation of Simon Beaufoy’s classic comedy about a group of unemployed steel workers who form a male strip group that claim to go all the way! I actually took my parents to see this one, a strange pairing I know, but The Full Monty is one of their favourite films set in the miners strike era so I knew they’d enjoy watching this one brought to life on stage...just cover your eyes at the end dad!
The Full Monty stage was incredible – one of the most intricate I’ve seen with the backdrop of the old steelworks factory. The actors used the levels of the stage incredibly well and it kept us entertained not knowing what was happening or at what point the actors would reappear. The costumes were perfectly set and all movement between scenes was fitting, the whole production felt smooth, well rehearsed but still wonderfully raw.
We had some trouble hearing the actors at points (something we heard others mentioning at the interval too) which was the only drawback for me. The characters weren’t mic’ed up and it made it tricky to catch some of the dialogue and admittedly some of the jokes. But we were still able to follow the story line and catch the moments that mattered so it didn’t spoil our enjoyment too much.
All of your favourite moments from the film made it into the play from the interview gnomes to the cling film and the audience was chuckling with anticipation. Gary Lucy was fantastic as Gaz and totally believable – not just a nice pair of cheeks for the posters! And the rest of the cast did their characters proud making for a well rounded team of performers. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and it’s clear why this tour has done so well in it’s run so far, very very funny indeed. 
And I suppose the question on everyone’s lips is ‘Do they ACTUALLY go Full Monty at the end?’. Well, you’ll have to buy your ticket and see, what happens on The Full Monty Tour stays on The Full Monty Tour!
The Full Monty is at The Regent Theatre in Stoke until the 31st October you can buy your tickets for the tour at the ATG box office here.
Have you seen The Full Monty Play yet? Who would you take?
Tweet me @xameliax or leave a comment below! #fullmontyplay
xax