A Winner At WestConn

By Julie Stern

DANBURY — Back in 1997, there was a wonderful English movie about a bunch of steelworkers who were made redundant (to use the British phrase for being laid off) when their mill was shut down. Suffering the economic, social and moral consequences of unemployment, a group of them conceived the idea of staging a male striptease act – ala the Chippendales – except that their unique contribution to the genre would be to take everything off. In other words, to go “the full Monty.”

The film was such a sleeper hit that three years later, playwright Terrence McNally combined with composer-lyricist David Yazbek to turn it into a stage musical.

The setting was moved from Sheffield, England, to heavily ethnic Buffalo, N.Y., – a city all too familiar with industrial decline – and the result was a smashing, Tony Award-winning success.

Now the WestConn Theater department has chosen this show for its fall musical, and they have done themselves proud indeed. With the exception of some substandard sound equipment, this version is professional quality in every way.

Dan Hassenmayer’s set design captures the seedy scruffiness of an abandoned factory, and then allows for seamless transition to other scenes including a nightclub men’s room, and a highway with a moving car.

Under Pam McDaniel’s direction, Amy Jones’ choreography, Margaret Astrup’s vocal guidance, and conductor Steve Ortiz’s management of the band – who sit on a second story platform above the stage – all contribute to a stunning and delightful production.

But of course it is the acting that really makes a show, and here it is uniformly excellent. By now just about everyone knows what the climax is going to consist of, but what matters is how the story gets there. The play gives us sympathetic, sharply defined, and highly believable portraits of proud, decent men trapped in an economic situation that strips them of all the dignity and self respect that came with their identity as hard-working, well-paid, blue-collar skilled workers. Now these men must face the demeaning prospect of sitting around collecting their meager Union benefit checks, while their wives support their families by working at the mall.

Sean Duggan Josephs is Jerry Lukowski, the angry malcontent who conceives the idea of forming the “Hot Metal” group in order to make enough money to meet his overdue child support payments, because he refuses to apply for a low-level job at WalMart.

Joshua Wagner gives a brilliant performance as Jerry’s best friend, Dave Bukatinsky, unmanned by shame over his weight, and fear that his wife doesn’t love him any more.

Thomas Mulhare is Harold Nichols, the snappish representative from management. Even with an MBA from Wharton, he too has been fired, but he has kept it a secret from his free-spending wife.

With a  silly haircut and a beautiful singing voice, Patrick Laffin is the suicidally depressed Malcom MacGregor, who still lives with his dominating mother.

Jerrial Young is Horse Simmons, a black man overwhelmed by the high expectations of his mother, aunts, sister and minister, as well as his secret awareness that contrary to stereotyped expectations, he is not bigger in certain departments than white men.

Matt Bagley is Ethan Girard, who has the whimsical delusion that if he keeps trying he can dance up the walls the way Donald O’Connor did in the movies.

They are well matched by the women in their lives. Rachel Cuffe plays Jerry’s ex-wife, who still cares for him but has nevertheless decided to hitch her wagon to a brighter star in the person of sensible (and employed) Teddy Slaughter, played by the eminently reasonable Matt Austin.

Sarah Ahearn gives a moving performance as Dave’s wife Georgie, who really does love him and can’t understand why he is freezing her out, even as he does the dishes, vacuums the house, and minds the kids.

Andrea Jiminez is fiery and energetic as Vicki Nichols, who wants things and trips and parties but more than anything, needs her husband’s confidence.

Stephanie Caprio gives a hilarious performance as Jeanette Burmeister, the over-the-hill burlesque performer who broke out of the nursing home to serve as the musical accompanist and general den mother to the Hot Metal guys.

And Adam Schofield-Bodt works hard in the role of Jerry’s son Nathan, torn between love for his dad and awareness that his mother and Teddy have a more sensible life to offer.

If you’ve seen the movie, this show is extremely faithful to the plot and includes many of the funny bits, successfully translated to an American venue. If you haven’t seen it, then you can enjoy it on its own terms, as did most of the crowd who packed Berkshire Auditorium on opening night.  This is a rousingly funny, energetic, high-spirited romp. Go for it!

(The Berkshire Theater is on Western CT State University’s midtown campus, on Osborne Street

Performances of The Full Monty continue on weekends until November 18. Call 837-8732 for tickets and performance information.)