The Arts / Reviews

‘The Full Monty’ is real crowd pleaser

By David Burke | Wednesday, September 24, 2008 | () comments

(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO) Clockwise from left, Nikkieli DeMone, Brad Hauskins, Dave Adamick, Don Denton, Hernando Umana and Vaughn Irving join forces in “The Full Monty.”

The bare male derrieres are not what gets the greatest exposure in Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse’s production of “The Full Monty.”

Instead, it’s the realization that Circa can still stage a modern, full-scale musical that has every bit of the look, sound and feel of a Broadway touring production.

Much of the credit for that goes to director-choreographer Jamal McDonald, a veteran of numerous “Monty” productions as well as a national tour of the show, based on the hit British movie.

McDonald accomplishes some remarkable feats, including making the show both intimate and a major spectacle.

Almost every scene moves seamlessly in transition to a variety of locales that are well-served by Kevin Depinet’s massive and multiple sets. McDonald has instilled the right kind of underdog, Everyman character in each of the six unemployed-steelworkers-turned-exotic-dancers:

n Don Denton as Jerry, the single dad and instigator who needs the money raised by the show to keep partial child support of his son (deftly played by Pablo Dietrich Haake, a sixth-grader at Davenport’s Sudlow Intermediate).

n Dave Adamick as Dave, Jerry’s overweight pal whose marriage is suffering (Jana Schreier is a natural as his blue-collar wife) and whQAose body image is faltering.

n Hernando Umana as suicidal security guard Malcolm, who has mother issues.

n Brad Hauskins as the nebbishy former factory exec, trying to keep his 18-month unemployment secret from his free-spending wife (Kim Furness, a force of nature in her production number).

n Vaughn Irving as the would-be dancer who all-too-willingly brings something extra to the troupe in a scene that brings the first shock and one of the biggest laughs of the night.

n Nikkieli DeMone, who walks away with the show within the first 10 seconds as Horse, a retiree and increasingly less willing exhibitionist who gets some of the best lines in Terrence McNally’s script.

After the opening weekend, DeMone had to drop out of the show. Rob Harris will play Horse this weekend, and Troy Scarborough will take over next week for the rest of the run.

Denton is the unlikely hero of the show, in a part that’s not leading man-like but very real. He and Adamick have instant rapport as they round up the rest of the troupe.

Umana and Irving have some nice moments together and separately, and Hauskins further establishes his foothold on the nervous nerd characters.

Also excelling is Autumn O’Ryan as the group’s accompanist, although she doesn’t quite look old enough to be the haggard showbiz veteran she portrays.

By the time “The Fully Monty” builds its way up to a climax with the song “Let It Go,” the audience is built up into enough of a combination of frenzy and feeling for the characters that whether or not there’s skin shown is almost a secondary concern.

Congratulations to Circa for going all-out with a big-time crowd pleaser.

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this review at qctimes.com.

IF YOU GO

What: “The Full Monty”

When: Through Nov. 8; performances at 5:45 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 11:45 a.m. Wednesdays

Where: Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island

How much: $44.20 Fridays-Sundays, $41.60 Wednesday evenings, $38.48 Wednesday matinees; discounts for students (18 years and younger) and senior citizens (60 years and older)

Information: (309) 786-7733, Ext. 2 or Circa21.com on the Web