"The Full Monty"
"The Full Monty," music and lyrics by David Yazbek, book by Terrance McNally. Directed by Michael C. Mensching. At the Theater Barn in New Lebanon, N.Y.
Six men in need of restoring their personal pride, both pride of place and of self, agree to work together as a performance team and do the "full monty" -- meaning strip to the fullest extent possible -- in front of a bunch of women. This act will restore their pride. They have all been out of work for six months or more, unable to support their families. They have all found the bare opportunities open to them to be unsatisfying, impossible to bear. They have grown wary of too much honesty and of too little anticipated supports. Three of them underestimate their wives.
They come together to share laughter, music, dancing and group stripping and somehow this bonding of male egos and superegos has the desired effect on everyone, although for a while it appears that even the man whose idea it is to move this action forward might balk and louse it up for everyone. Along the way, as noted, three of the men discover the true mettle of their wives, or ex-wives.Two of them men find love and companionship. One renews his bond with his son who is about to reach the teenage years. One embraces his age and racial differences and comes out a first-class human with a five-star heart. It's a lovely outcome, and that won't spoil anything for you if you haven't seen this show before.
One other fact: the show is set in Buffalo, N.Y., and they talk about Albany, so don't be surprised if even the environs get mentioned. It's in the script.