Kyle Ennis Turoff begins The Full Monty with a blast as Georgie Bukatinsky, wife of longtime unemployed steel worker Dave, leads her gal pals in Buffalo, NY, to "appreciate" the swinging strip of Buddy "Keno" Walsh. And Jared E. Walker certainly doesn't skimp in his show either, with his smooth -- um -- professionalism. Just what the women need, with their men so down (in every way) since they've been out of work. Especially Dave (whose obsession with being fat and not being financially fit is perfectly expressed by Berry Ayers) and his best friend Jerry. Though handsome and charismatic (as David Engel surely proves), Jerry's a three-way loser. His wife has left him, he has a small but real police record, and he's so broke that he can't make his child support payments.But if he can get himself, Dave, and four other guys into shape, they can make enough thousands in a one night strip to get themselves out of their holes and onto making themselves and families a whole lot better.
Will they or won't they? That's the gist of the story. The question comes up at every one of the too many (and thus sometimes tiresome) turns in the plot. What all the men have in common is not wanting to give up hope for the kind of good jobs they had and just settle for something at a mall or big box store.
What the men need is to function as a team. Of course, each must bring something special to it. Former boss Harold Nichols (Chris George, every bit the well-groomed M.B.A.) can manage and schedule. Malcolm, who's already a security man and thus a source of uniforms, contributes (via Steven Flaa) a sweet voice and demeanor. As the "Horse" Noah, Oliver Dill can bring down the house as "Big Black Man." Bringing down his trousers, Joey Panek's otherwise nondescript Ethan shows up everyone with his outstanding attributes. Even Molly, their pianist, whom blase Roberta MacDonald assures us has seen it all, is impressed.
One of the problems with this musical is that its "stars" really shouldn't sing or dance too well. They have to be just good enough for one big Ladies Night. And they make the final hurdle only by promising to display "the full monty." Under Robert Ennis Turoff's able direction, they pull everything off just fine.
Though most of the story details seem a drag, Catherine Randazzo manages a poignant revelation of real love for hubby Harold, who'd feared she loved him for material things he could give her. Her earlier, bombshell "Life with Harold" gives way to a pleasing "You Rule My World" with George/ Harold. Robin Pazicni goes through the motions as Jerry's wife Pam, now living with breadwinner Teddy (modestly played by Larry Buzzeo), but there's never much of a sense of the separated couple ever having had a happy marriage. Pam's more like a mother to Jerry, trying to get him to grow up. With a kid as neat as Nathan (cool Alex Vercheski), one would think Jerry would have taken work of any kind in the past rather than have to go to extremes like complete stripping now. What a truly dysfunctional family!
Still, the Apple deserves praise for serving things other than chestnuts with its dinners, and doing so with taste. The finale is one luscious yet light dessert.
