Stripping away controversy

The stage is set for Newark Amateur Operatic Society’s most controversial and ambitious show yet.

The curtain goes up on The Full Monty at Newark’s Palace Theatre on March 22 and it runs until March 27.

Based on the 1997 film starring Robert Carlyle, the Tony award-winning musical tells the story of six unemployed steel workers from Buffalo, New York.

All are fighting personal battles — from low self-esteem and the disappearance of a material lifestyle to hang-ups over appearance.

In the case of Jerry Lukowski, played by Chris Wright, it’s the potential loss of access to his son, Nathan, if he cannot meet his child support payments.

After witnessing the success of a Chippendale’s act with friend Dave Bukatinsky (Adrian Berry) Jerry devises a plan to raise the money he needs by forming his own act, Hot Metal.

Jerry recruits Malcolm (Justin Day) Noah “Horse” Simmons (Brad Buchanan) stuffy ex-foreman Harold Nicholas (Matthew Bird) and the sizeable presence of Ethan Girard (Matthew Shepherdson).

However, getting the boys on stage proves harder the he first thought.

It is directed by Lisa Lee, directing her sixth musical for the society, who has already put on the production at Lincoln and Cleethorpes.

The decision to do The Fully Monty raised eyebrows when it was first announced at the annual meeting.

Lisa said: “You have got to go and see the show and make up your own mind about it because it goes down well wherever it goes.

“When I did the show at Lincoln I heard of people who went to see it another two or three times. It’s a really good night out.”

The society’s vice-chairman, Chris Wright, said: “It has been out a couple of years on the amateur circuit and has taken huge box office revenues wherever it has gone.

“While it’s a gamble in terms of content, because of the audiences it should pull in, coupled with the fact it’s not an expensive show to put on, we could make a lot of money, which is vital for our future.”

Despite being well received, the society’s last three productions — West Side Story, Anything Goes and 42nd Street — failed to make a profit.

Chris said: “The Full Monty isn’t just about the final act either. The cast will have to pull out the stops to replicate the kind of desperation the characters feel when they seem to have no other options.

“This is the most challenging part I’ve ever had. This is a play with music, totally different to something like 42nd Street where you do a scene and sing a song. This is really raw, and it’s a hard story.

“Yes, it is a controversial show because we are such a small company and, yes, it has alienated some people, but unfortunately we cannot do South Pacific or Oklahoma every year.

“This is a modern musical and we have to move with the times.”