By MARCUS STEAD.
Members of Penarth Operatic and Dramatic Society (PODS) will bare all when they take to the stage in The Fully Monty – The Broadway Musical at the Paget Rooms in Penarth later this month.
The group originally began rehearsing for the show more than two years ago, but after a lengthy delay due to the pandemic, most of the original cast members have reconvened and the show will go on over four nights, Wednesday 18th to Saturday 21st May.
The film version of The Full Monty was released in 1997 and told the story of six unemployed men from Sheffield who decide to form a striptease act to raise money so that Gaz, the main character, could make child support payments and do normal things with his son Nathan.
The film received near-universal acclaim from critics for its ability to make the audience laugh while also touching on serious subjects such as unemployment, fathers’ rights, depression, body image and suicide.
Three years after the film was released, an Americanised musical stage version was created by David Yazbek and Terrence McNally, which stayed largely faithful to the film’s plot but told the story from the perspective of six unemployed former steelworkers from Buffalo, New York.
The upcoming production features PODS president Mary Gardner as Jeanette, a feisty and eccentric veteran musician. She said: “I’m delighted to be playing the part of Jeanette, the pianist who plays for the guys as they rehearse. Aren’t I the lucky one!
“With 50 years of shows under my belt, I think I can say with all honesty that the cast is full of first-class talent.”
The cast also includes Neil Clevett as Jerry, Graham Perkins as Harold and Paul Mellin as Dave.
Members of the audience are promised the most highly-anticipated finale of any show, though it will remain family-friendly with clever use of lighting to protect the modesty of the cast.
Publicity officer Peter Knowles said: “Most of the original cast are on board – about 90% have returned, but we’ve had to make a couple of changes because a small number of people couldn’t commit this time around.”
Peter is keen to emphasise that the famous finale is only one small element of a story that combines comedy with a plotline that sees the men form new friendships, openly discuss the mental health issues they are experiencing and become stronger as a group as a result.
While there is a serious and thoughtful side to the musical, Peter insists the audience are in for an evening of fun: “The songs are brilliant. There’s some really lively, toe-tapping numbers in there that’ll get the audience going,” he said.
Peter says that children are welcome, but ‘parental guidance’ is advised because the musical contains adult themes.
The show’s director, Fiona Porter-Smith, made it clear to the men at the audition that they would be naked on stage, to which she received an overwhelmingly positive response.
As with the film and the Broadway production, those taking part are not models and have ‘real’ men’s bodies, including all shapes and sizes, with an age range from 30 to above 50.
At a time when many people are experiencing difficulties as a result of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, Peter says the story is one of optimism and hope: “The story shows how you can rely on friendships to help see you through a really dark place, and it demonstrates how together we are stronger.
“There are so many people, especially men, who don’t talk about feelings and have mental health issues that nobody knows about.
“A lot of men don’t discuss their feelings with anyone, not even their closest friends, and therefore lots of men suffer privately with mental health issues.
“The Full Monty story shows how it’s OK, and indeed healthy, to talk about these subjects with other people, and to get through difficult times together,” he said.
Tickets can be obtained here.
🌟 This article first appeared in the printed edition of the Glamorgan Star on 05.05.22
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