Average guys with guts, wrinkles, mortgages and child support payments take to the stage when they are laid off from their factory jobs. "The Full Monty" runs through Nov. 13 at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va.
*** Published Thursday, Sept 30 in the Bristol Herald Courier. ***
ABINGDON, VA -- When a motley bunch of Buffalo, NY, factory workers, laid off and desperate for money, decide to go into competition with the professional male strippers known as Chippendales, you just know all heck is going to break loose – and it does in the Barter Theatre's new production of "The Full Monty" running on the theater's Main Stage in Abingdon.
Now, let's be perfectly clear here: this play is uproariously funny, raunchy and politically incorrect to the max, but there's nothing "dirty" about it, no sexual shenanigans and as far as nudity is concerned, let's just say that there are a lot of cabooses and no engines.
It's a laugh a minute, but "The Full Monty" manages to be more, a great deal more. It is a story of friendship, laughter in the face of adversity, a commentary on how we oftentimes place far too strong an emphasis on physical appearance and a realization that even though we may never make the cover of a magazine, all of us are special to somebody.
"The Full Monty" runs through Nov 13, 2010. For showtimes, visit www.bartertheatre.com or call (276) 628-3991.
