"The Full Monty"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

"The Full Monty" is the story of six out of work steel workers from Sheffield who decide that, for one night only, they will get a bit of dosh in, by performing The Full Monty, in their local club. The decision comes about by way of a “girlie night” at the club with The Chippendales, a set of strippers who do not go “all the way” and Gaz gets together his work mates to top this by going all the way, or The Full Monty, as that will be how they can guarantee a full house and get the maximum money in as a short term end to all of their money issues.

Gaz, Lomper, Dave and Gerald hold auditions to get the other two, Horse, who is a bit of an old school dancer and Guy, who can’t dance but has something big to add to the mix!

Despite being a comedy, Simon Beaufoy who wrote the play, also touches on serious subjects such as unemployment, fathers' rights, depression, impotence, homosexuality, body image, working class culture and suicide.

This play is as much a play for the lads in the audience as it is for the women, because it shows brotherhood and working together as well as self discovery.

Actors are notoriously self-conscious, so to perform in this play takes a lot of guts, but this cast were loving the adoration of the crowd tonight.

Danny Hatchford plays Gaz. Gaz has the most pressure on as he has a son that he needs to pay maintenance for, who is living with his ex, Mandy, and her new boyfriend, Barry. With the threat of not seeing his son due to the payments owed, he is desperate to stem this money flow and get more access to see his son. I've seen this play on several occasions and every time there is a different feel with every cast.

Danny brings a new sensitivity to Gaz and the desperation to see his son, as well as pay what he owes to Mandy, really runs deep and you feel the frustration. Danny really comes across as "one of the lads" as Gaz but there has been a slimming down of the cockiness seen in some of the actors who have taken on Gaz in the past, and that makes the character even more believable and relatable. Needless to say the finale is great fun, as it always is.

Laura Matthews plays Gaz's ex, Mandy, as well as several other parts, and again Laura brings a real human side of the character out, especially after all the "second chances" she gave Gaz, she still shows she has feelings for him, and what he is going through, by buying a ticket to see him, and the others perform.

Oliver Joseph Brooke plays Mandy's new partner, Barry, Terry the club manager, as well as other characters. Oliver radiates as Terry, a role polar opposites to Barry, especially as the announcer of the main event.

Jake Quickenden plays Guy, the obvious heart throb who obviously works out. I'm not sure if it's because it's been a few years since I saw "The Full Monty" but every actor seems to bring new characteristics to their role. There is a certain vulnerability brought to Guy by Jake, especially with the frank discussion with Lomper, which is quite sweet, letting us into the shy side of Guy.

Bill Ward plays Gerald, the former steel works foreman, who is hiding something from his wife, Linda. And it's not his obsession with garden gnomes either! Bill, like the other members of this cast are all excellent character actors; Gerald is a million miles away from his onscreen "Coronation Street" and "Emmerdale" characters, as well as the stage roles that I've seen him play previously. What also went through my mind was why he had not been asked to do "Strictly", because he can move. What you also notice is that Bill has looked after himself, and that shows in the first "undress rehearsal".

Linda, Gerald's wife, is played by Suzanne Proctor who has a wig that looks like it has a life, and post code, of it's own. (I really hope this was a wig because that would be really embarrassing for me if I were wrong). You really wanted her to find out Gerald's secret just to pop her snobby bubble, which she does anyway. I know that it takes a skilled actor to make you not like a particular character, so Suzanne ticks that skilled actor box for me.

Neil Hurst plays Dave, the one with the "dad bod", the sort of body that most of us have. Dave is trying to lose that dad bod by some unconventional ways, which shows that he is willing to try anything to impress Jean. The loss of his job has caused confidence issues within the marriage. The audience really got behind Dave at every step of the way. I always say that if you can believe the character on stage and not see the actor, then this is a job done well. Neil brings Dave to life and that character realism is what the audience bought into.

Katy Dean plays Jean, Dave's wife. I love this character because she doesn't care about Dave's weight issue, she loves him as he is. It's this depth of character that is so lovely to see, and I also love the scene where she confronts him with an accusation of cheating. The realisation of the truth is heart-warming and shows just how well Dave and Jean are matched as a couple.

Ben Onwukwe, who I last saw in the tour of "The Shawshank Redemption", plays Horse, an older man with some good soul moves. This scene itself raises the roof. If you've not seen the film or the musical, or the play version - which by the way this is - you may ask how he got the nickname of "Horse". All is revealed in the play. A brilliant character for the mature actor and Ben was quick to win the crowd over to his side.

Nicholas Prasad as Lomper, a security guard at the steel mill that the lads used to work at, until it was closed down. Lomper is a bit of a saddo character, and we discover why this is later on in the play after Dave and Gaz save him from himself at the start. I've seen this play a few times but even I gasped at that particular section involving his first major scene. Thankfully Lomper's repression is reversed and we see a more happier and more confident character after an open and honest chat with one of the other characters. Another great character actor in Nicholas.

Four young actors alternate the role of Nathan, Mandy and Gaz's son. Cass Dempsey, Theo Hills, Rowan Poulton and Jack Wisniewski. Tonight (Monday) the role was played by, I think, Theo. Nathan lives with Mandy and Barry but Gaz has joint custody of him with Mandy. Nathan wishes he and his father Gaz could do more "normal stuff" together. It never fails to amaze me just how confident and unphased these young actors are on stage. An incredibly natural performance and this young man has great stage presence as well as great projection in his voice.

Directed by Michael Gyngell, his directorial view has retained everything that I love about this play but has also created a freshness about the story that is difficult to put a finger on, but it does feel extremely fresh, as if it was the first time that I had seen this play. He seems to have made the characters even more human.

Jasmine Swells' Set and Costume design also have a new look about them. The set is completely different to other sets that I'd seen; consisting of three large segments, and when I say large, I mean LARGE! they filled the stage. These sections were manoeuvred around the stage by the stage crew and the cast with different sides of these monster sections showing a different bit of scenery. The moving about of these sections was an art form in itself. Great and apt costumes as the out of work workers, but the final costumes were suitably sparkly.

The Lighting Design by Andrew Exeter, and of course this is one show in particular where you don't fall out with the Lighting Operator, if you know what I mean! Powerful backlighting ensured the privacy of the privates were kept just that way.

Sound Design is by Chris Whybrow. Now, you forget that there is a sound designer in a play like this because, even with the sections with the record player, and the radio at the job centre, its natural sound direction is taken for granted. This sound positioning is the work of the Sound Designer, and creating that natural sound placement is vital to the believability and enjoyment of what you hear from the stage.

You'll also love the selection of music used incidentally when there is a change of scenery. Love both Human League tracks used, "Love Action" and "Mirror Man", and even though the setting is the 1980's, some of the songs are from a later period i.e. M People's "Moving On Up" from 1993 and Primal Scream's "Moving On Up" from a year earlier. Who cares? It's great music and nobody else I suppose would even notice. Brilliant soundtrack FULL STOP!

The choreography is by Ian West. There are a couple of scenes that everyone looks forward to, choreography wise, and they are done just as we like to see them. The scene at the Job Centre to Donna summer's "Hot Stuff" is still an absolute delight to watch swell and blossom, and of course the finale "You Can Leave Your Hat On". Cheeky, comedic and creative choreography.

When you think of "The Full Monty" most people will straight away think of half a dozen men getting their kit off. The story that leads up to this explosive exhibitionism is heart-warming and very human. I would even go as far to say that this cast could be the best collaboration of actors I've seen in a "Full Monty" touring production, and even though the weather outside is cold, you leave the theatre feeling lovely and warm inside.

I even overlooked the fact that there would be no way that Dave and Gaz would have been able to shift that massive iron girder.

"The Full Monty" will be performed nightly at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 4 November.