Belly Laughs With Barely A Dull Moment: The Full Monty

A mile long queue outside the Theatre Royal packed with high spirited lasses cracking Geordie jokes set the tone for this gritty, classic production which strikes a chord in every heart.

The iconic storyline portrays the endless hardships for the men who lost their jobs and struggle daily to make ends meet following the demise of the traditional steel industry in the 1980s.

Living on their wits, best mates Gaz, played by Danny Hatchard, and Neil Hurst as Dave resort to robbing girders from the redundant local steel mill. Beleaguered Gaz is also about to lose custody of his street savvy son, Nathan, due to a backlog of unpaid child support.

A packed out show of The Chippendales male strip troupe which set the fellas wives and girlfriends wild sets things in motion. This leads to the mates forming their own unique show, taking the Chippendales’ sauciness one step further by a promise of ‘The Full Monty.

They set up auditions which have the audience rocking in the aisles – especially when the seemingly decrepit ‘Horse’ hobbles into the room barley able to walk, let alone gyrate to pulsating pop music.

This multi-faceted production is brilliantly written by Simon Beaufoy who also compiled the original multi award-winning screenplay in 1997 after a stay exploring Sheffield and talking to locals while his girlfriend was in hospital.

Beneath the stream of belly laughs where the coping mechanism for adversity is dry wit and northern humour lie a string of serious wide-ranging and timeless themes.

Spanning hardship, divorce, separation and child custody, smoking, homosexuality, impotency along with self-esteem and self-image such as Dave’s losing battle with his permanent ‘diet’.

The theme of the enduring power of friendships - and how the mates pulled together to pull off the seemingly impossible - resonates deeply.

Hats off - literally! - to Danny Hatchard and Neil Hurst who are brilliant and the talented troupe comprising Jake Quickenden as Guy, Bill Ward as Gerald, Ben Onwukwe as Horse and Nicholas Prasad as Lomper.
Also deserving a mention are Alice Scholfield who beautifully carries off numerous cameo roles and Katy Dean as Dave’s wife, Jean.

Stealing the show is Gaz’s son, Nathan played by Rowan Poulton. With empathy and emotional intelligence in spades, he is beyond sensational.

Directed by Michael Gyngell and choreographed by Ian West, we relive 80s and 90s classics with music including Hot Chocolate’s You Sexy Thing and You Can Leave Your Hat On by Tom Jones.

Relevant, irreverent and riveting, we can all learn from the story’s theme of resilience as the mates drag themselves off the scrap heap and embark on a path of self-discovery and survival. Not to be missed.

The Full Monty plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday, March 2. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.