Close your eyes and imagine that you are sitting in a small, off-broadway theatre in New York, watching a great comedic musical production. It has great acting, challenging yet wonderfully diverse vocals and just to top it off there is smooth and sexy choreography. As the show goes on, laughter echoes off of every wall of the theatre and the atmosphere is truly magical. Quite a vision isn’t it? Well, going to the Sutherland Arts Theatre to watch Miranda Musical Theatre Company’s production of “The Full Monty” was pretty darn close to this vision. Tim Dennis and Amelie Downie have worked together once again to fully immerse their audiences into a world of their creation by cleverly directing this show, even blocking some cast amongst the audience. In addition to this, they also use an extremely expansive set design which was highly impressive given the size of the theatre. Hats off to Downie and her crew for pulling all of those changes off so flawlessly without detracting from the story that was going on stage.
Lauren Dennis, with the assistance of Matthew Herne, have pulled together an orchestra of some of Sydney’s finest musicians to create an atmosphere of musical wonder that helps to propel the story along. This is work that often goes unnoticed within a production, however this was one of the things that I couldn’t stop raving about upon leaving the theatre. Furthermore, they have done an incredible job vocally working with the performers in the show. The vocal tracks of many of the lead males are quite difficult to sing over long periods of time with some unusually complex harmonic lines considering the genre and style of the show. This clearly shows how much work was put in by this dedicated duo as these vocals were almost faultless
Karen Moseley has continued to supply and coordinate the costuming for MMTC and has hit the nail completely on the head when it comes to supplying costumes that keep audiences in that suspended reality that theatre creates… from the wigs and sparkly dresses all the way down to the boxer shorts (and less!). Finally, rounding up the production team is the up-and-coming TALENT of a choreographer Pamela Diaz. From the opening scene all the way to the finale, she has shown the versatility of her choreography skills across different styles of dance as well and including choreography that can be done by each and every cast member. This is something that is quite endearing to me as usually non-dancers/movers are neglected or given simple movements as their dancing isn’t as good. It is clear that all of Diaz’s work is polished to a tea and includes the best mix of humour, promiscuity and movement.
With that being said, let’s move onto talking about the wonderful cast that embody this show and bring it to life! Geoff Stone (as Jerry) plays the father figure and leader trope very well as he seeks to sort out his own life problems whilst also seeking out a complex and somewhat scandalous solution. With one of the hardest vocal tracks in the show, Stone should be commended for how he was able to sustain his vocals with all the characterisation and passion needed. His right-hand man Conor Healey-Green (as Dave) should be equally as commended for his vocals as they complemented Stone’s effortlessly and he was extremely strong on his harmonic lines. Making humour about one’s body isn’t easy as an actor and yet the maturity and care that Healey-Green used was admirable as he embodied his complex, multifaceted role.
Ellis Pinkerton (as Malcolm) and Tom Tobin (as Ethan) were both incredible at portraying their younger characters in this wild storyline. Pinkerton never once broke his character on stage, making every aspect of his complex character, even down to the physical embodiment, that more believable and heartbreaking when certain moments occurred within the show. Part of me was sad for Tobin, as I spent the whole show hoping that he’d finally land the infamous wall flip, but this point of tension was also what brought so much joy and humour to this young, and perhaps slightly overconfident boy. Tobin should be recognised for his strong character portrayal and contributions as the show’s Dance Captain. These gentlemen should also be commended for their strong vocals throughout the show, and their duet at the conclusion of the show was one to write home about.
Stephen Halstead (as Harold) creates such a weird character that is just so versatile and spans all the way from strict boss to loving husband to provocative and unwilling stripper. This insanely talented baritone handled this character so well and made this transformation so heartwarming to watch. Similarly, Ralphy Walter (as Horse) was just something else! What talent! what groove! what skills! He leads the cast of men at the end of Act I through a crazy dance sequence and had me beaming ear to ear with joy. Whilst his character may have been unfortunately nicknamed, he certainly wasn’t lacking in the talent department whatsoever.
Upon finding out that this next young man was only in Year 9, my jaw dropped to the floor! The maturity, skills and stage craft that William Downie (as Nathan) has can only be described as impeccable. He was able to effortlessly draw the connections between the comedic storyline and the more serious underlying themes within the show. His stage mother Morven Taylor (as Pam) was just as scarily talented as her nonchalant portrayal of her character was so contrasting to her husband. This led to her character to being so well received and understood by audiences which is no mean feat, especially when the instinct in musical theatre is to overact. Her subtle undertones and blunt portrayal was one that I have never seen and I don’t believe I will see again done to such a high standard. Continuing the list of powerful women in this show we have Rebecca Carter (as Georgie) and Leanne Trumper (as Vicki). Carter puts a whole lotta women’s empowerment into this show, flexing both her acting and singing chops as she tackled a multi-faceted character with ease. With her posse of women behind her, you always knew that when she was present on the stage, it was bound to be powerful. Trumper evidently put her whole heart and soul into this role and often unintentionally stole many laughs due to her impeccable characterisation and sickening ballroom! This, paired with her beautiful vocals made her character and the arc that she went through quite enjoyable.
Speaking of powerful, let’s talk about the two unsuspecting showstoppers of this production. Luke Bevan (as Keno) is everything you could ever want from the character. He exudes charm, is sassy and strong in his acting as well as whipping out some wild dance moves that had many people in the crowd screaming! Anne-Marie Fanning (as Jeanette) was the opposite end of this spectrum. Her humour and scene stealing presence wasn’t a result of a lack of clothes or high charm, but rather through the wit of a crazed, realistic older woman telling the tales of times gone by. Whenever her mouth was open, I was always ready for a wild comment or a great comeback. She had me doubling over with laughter and I would definitely go see this production again if only to see her own the stage once more.
The technical team of this show really are the icing on this cake and add the perfect final touches to make this show as brilliant as it is. Chae Rogan has designed a simple yet deviously clever lighting plot that caters perfectly to the theatre space and highlight the best bits of the show! Emma Snellgrove has also effortlessly mixed and adjusted the sound and technical aspects to keep audiences suspended in the world they are brought into when seeing the show.
I seriously couldn’t even pick a target audience to recommend this show to, because it genuinely caters to everyone! Whether it be those looking to see realistic and relatable stories told through theatre, or those looking for a great night out where men take their kit off. MMTC’s “The Full Monty” really is the Full Monty in every sense of the word and is a must-watch for all this September. Get your tickets before they’re all gone.
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