The multi-award winning, iconic film The Full Monty comes to life onstage in an exciting production that is touring the UK this year and comes to the region with dates at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells from March 9th -March 14th and then again at Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre from October 5th – October 10th.
The Full Monty, a film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers who decide to raise some cash by putting on a strip show, took the world by storm in 1997 and has become one of the most successful British movies ever made.
Now, the boys are back, only this time, they really have to go The Full Monty -live on stage. Like the film, the play poignantly touches on issues such as unemployment, poverty and depression but also manages to pack in some laughs, a rousing soundtrack, and, of course, the famous stripping finale.
The star-studded cast includes Gary Lucy (Eastenders, Footballer’s Wives, Hollyoaks, The Bill) who plays main character Gaz; Andrew Dunn (Dinnerladies, Bremner, Bird and Fortune, Bouncers) is Gerald; Louis Emerick (Brookside, Last of the Summer Wine) is Horse; Martin Miller (The Lovesong of Alfred J Hitchcock) is Dave; Bobby Schofield makes his stage debut as Lomper and Rupert Hill (Coronation Street) is Guy.
Recently I was lucky enough to catch up with leading man, Gary Lucy, so that I could ask him about the show, some of his ground-breaking roles and, of course, about being naked on stage.
Let me start by asking you, How is the tour going?
Great, yes, it’s really really good. It’s going down an absolute storm and they have just extended the tour now, right through until December, because it’s been so popular. I’m really enjoying it, because it’s a fun show and everyone leaves with a smile on their face, so it’s all good.
and I guess we can’t ignore the fact that a lot of that popularity is because you all get your kit off.
Obviously that is part of the show, yes, but there are also some really clever lines in the show and, as long as the lighting guy does his job properly, we should all be saved our blushes at the end. The stripping was a major part of the film, and it is in the stage show, it’s the “pay off” at the end of the piece and probably the part that made the film so iconic. It’s a feelgood show, but in a strange kind of way because there are some quite dark moments in the show too.
You’re no stranger to the darker moments of drama, even right back to your Hollyoaks days.
Hollyoaks was a great opportunity for me and the male rape storyline was the first time that a subject like that was covered in mainsteam TV and, because I was so young, it was a great challenge for me too. I think that the channel handled it really well and really sensitively. When we set about doing it we knew that it had to be a job well done and from the letters that came flooding in after we did it, from people thanking us for covering the subject, we are sure that it was just that.
Then there was Footballers’ Wives, another show that pushed the boundaries.
When we were doing the show we thought that some of the storylines were a bit outrageous but, as we have opened the newpapers over the years since the programme was on, a lot of the stuff we covered seems to have come true.
It is incredible that you have already got nearly 20 years in the business behind you. So, what next?
Well, I don’t know really. I’ve been very fortunate and I’ve been given some great opportunities to work with some really great people and I just hope that it will continue like that. I’ve never really made a conscious decision that I wanted to more TV or stage or whatever, it’s just that when the opportunities come in, some are just too good to pass up on and so I do them.
Are you still just as comfortable getting naked in a role as you always seem to have been?
The thing is that I’ve done plenty of roles where that hasn’t been a part of it like The Bill, and Eastenders, well, maybe a bit there, but, it’s not something that I really consider. If it’s typed for a character within a storyline to do that, then I do it because it’s just what you have to do – and I guess it’s quite flattering to be asked to strip off.
The Full Monty appears at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells from March 9th – March 14th at 7.30pm with matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are available from the box office on 01892 530613 or online at assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk.
The show then returns to the region to play at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne from October 5th – October 10th at 7.30 with matinees at 2.30pm on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available from the box office on 01323 412000 or book online at www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk.