The Long Island Advance
Let These Men Entertain You
The men live in postindustrial Buffalo. They lost their jobs 18 months ago at the steel plant and can’t find work. Now what?
It’s not as bleak as it seems. Because sometimes despair pushes you into the light. Or in this case, onto the stage. And into a lot of riotous scenes, where eventual realizations of self-worth happen with the six men in “The Full Monty,” the Gateway’s latest production.
Their metamorphoses via signing up to do a full strip for money is a roller coaster of laughs, but also pathos and vulnerability.
It’s a great show for adults that makes you think and cheer for the eventual joie de vivre expressed as the men navigate changes.
Based on the 1997 British film, it was Americanized and opened on Broadway in 2000, with a book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.
Jerry Lukowski (a terrific Rory Max Kaplan), who’s divorced and behind in child support, and best friend Dave Bukatinsky (a touching Clayton Howe), who is so depressed he just eats more, find themselves in the ladies’ room of the local Chippendales strip club. They listen to the applause. Then Dave’s wife crowds into the space with her friends. Hiding in the stalls, the men listen to them talk.
Ouch! The applause is riotous. But the discussion about them (watch Mia Gentile as Georgie, Katie Luke as Susan, Chrystal Renee Wright as Joanie and Kelly MacMillan as Estelle revel in “It’s a Woman’s World”) isn’t complimentary.
But after confident gay stripper Keno (a sinuous Franco Bianchi, prompting yelps from the audience) walks in and confronts Jerry’s homophobia with a left hook, it loosens his brains.
“We could do that,” Jerry says to Dave. “Real men, a guy walking the strip in Buffalo.” After he asks Keno, ‘How do you get sexy?’, and Keno answers, ‘Practice,’” the fun begins.
Woefully out of shape, they train—losing their balance, gasping after runs, tossing thongs over their heads, trying to look… sexy.
Jerry and Dave pull sweet Malcolm (Alex Fullerton—you want to hug him), who took a job as a night security guard at the plant, out of his car as he’s trying to kill himself. The men riff hilariously, harmonizing about ways Malcolm could do it, in the laugh-out-loud “Big-Ass Rock” (hey, this is guy humor). They avert his intentions, pledge friendship, and get him on board.
Smothered by his mother, Malcolm never had friends before, keeping his alternate lifestyle in check. But he sings a beautiful ballad after she dies, “You Walk With Me,” and is joined by his new friend, Ethan Girard, played by Justin Wolfe Smith.
It is just beautiful.
Interestingly, it’s Nathan, Jerry’s son (a terrific Gavin Gronenthal alternating with Theo Crossley), who brings his dad to a dance class with Wharton-educated former foreman Harold, who got sacked, too. (Ian Knauer unfolds from a stuck-up management type to a decent guy who helps.) Harold’s agreement pulls Jerry’s idea forward.
Now for the rehearsal.
This is where Sally Struthers comes in as Jeanette Burmeister. Struthers is a master of the gravelly voice, brilliantly timed, one-off quips as she plunks the piano, offering little snippets of her background, like, “I had a minor hit on Decca Records in 1947.”
“If you want to be in show business, you should be spayed first,” she says, just one of the jeweled tricks in her bag. “Jeanette’s Showbiz Number” with the men mentions everyone she’s worked with, including classic icons Buddy Greco and Frank Sinatra pushing them to succeed.
When Noah Horse T. Simmons (a wondrous E. Mani Cadet) shuffles into tryouts with Jerry, Dave, Harold and Malcolm, he’s arthritic and slow. Then he tentatively unfurls his moves, like the Mashed Potato dance, spins, etc. Oh my! When he sings “Big Black Man,” it’s his hilarious double entendre jibe at you-know-what. He’s hired.
Wall-crashing wonder Ethan (Justin Wolfe Smith) joins the group with his determination to emulate Donald O’Connor’s gravity-defying “Make ‘Em Laugh” number. Oi, he slams a lot. Wolfe Smith plays a great naïve character, adding to the show’s good-natured goofiness.
Struthers’s physicality comes out when she’s on the floor trying to get up. “I won’t be taking my clothes off, but someone else will,” she says to the audience untangling herself. “They may not be young or very good, but they’re here.”
Now for the women besides Sally’s distinctive touch. Let’s hear it for Emily Brockway as the exuberantly extravagant Vicki Nichols, who really loves her husband Harold but has no clue that their lavish lifestyle is in jeopardy. Harold loves her so much he doesn’t want to tell her. Mia Gentile is terrific as Georgie Bukatinsky, who adores her husband, is yearning for intimacy, doesn’t think he’s unattractive and ultimately encourages his participation with the guys. They sing the touching “You Rule My World.”
Dakota Mackey-McGee plays Jerry’s wife, Pam—not an easy role, but Mackey-McGee creates a compassionate character. She wants what’s best for her son and as Jerry’s high school sweetheart, ultimately for Jerry.
Will the men go on with their act “Hot Metal?”
Even though Horse’s mother and minister are out in the standing-room-only crowd, including men, with Jerry finally jumping in at the last minute after threatening defection, their confidence finally swells while wearing blue security guard costumes. “Let It Go” is their rousing, full-tilt number.
Dan's Papers
A Rousing 'The Full Monty' Bares It All at Gateway Playhouse
Gateway Playhouse goes where only angels dare to tread with The Full Monty. This bucolic barn-like setting in suburban Bellport may seem an unlikely venue for a risqué show about pseudo-Chippendales dancers, but hold on to your hats, you are in store for fun, treats, lots of heart and a rollicking good ride.
The Full Monty with book by Terrance McNally and score by David Yazbek is an Americanized version of the cult-hit British film (1997) of the same name. It premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in June 2000 before moving to Broadway where it opened on October 26, 2000, at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre to enthusiastic reviews praising its heart, humor and lively score. The show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book and won the 2001 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music.
The Full Monty is about unemployed Buffalo steelworkers desperate to make some quick cash. After talking to Chippendales stripper, Buddy “Keno” Walsh, Jerry Lukowski and Dave Bukatinsky sneak into the club through a window in the men’s room. When Dave’s wife Georgie, Jerry’s sometime girlfriend Estelle and friends Joanie and Susan come in, the guys hide in a stall and overhear the women’s enthusiasm overpaying for a male strip act. Jerry decides this is how he will catch up on late child support payments so his estranged wife Pam doesn’t prohibit him from seeing his son Nathan.
Dave goes along with Jerry’s scheme though he is self-conscious about showing his paunchy stomach. Jerry and Dave recruit other laid off men for this one-night-only show they named “Hot Metal.” There’s Malcolm, a security guard at the steel mill whom Jerry and Dave save when they happen upon his car, yes there is a real car onstage, and realize he is in it trying to asphyxiate himself with carbon monoxide poisoning. Dave and Jerry offer Malcolm friendship, bring him into the act and give him a reason to live.
Joining the act next is former foreman, Harold Nichols, who is taking a ballroom dance class with his flamboyant wife, Vicki. Jerry and Dave talk Harold into being the act’s choreographer. Auditions are held and they hire Noah ‘Horse’ T Simmons who stumbles into the audition plagued by advanced arthritis but surprises them with his dexterity when he starts to dance. Also auditioning is Ethan Girard, who is obsessed with Donald O’Connor’s flip up the wall dance routine in Singing in the Rain and constantly tries to replicate that stunt with comical results. The act is set and rehearsals begin.
The Gateway attracts the most fabulous stars right off television and Broadway and that is exactly what we get here. Popping up from behind an upstage piano is iconic actress and comedian Sally Struthers playing seasoned showbiz veteran Jeanette Burmeister who becomes the pianist for these amateur strippers. Struthers takes the stage with incomparable presence and timing keeping the audience hysterical with her facial expressions and witty one-liners as a cigarette dangles from the corner of her mouth.
When Jerry declares the thing that will make their show better than the Chippendales is that they’ll go “the full monty… all the way” he is met with masculine insecurities and challenges that lead to a breathtaking finale.
Surrounding Struthers is a strong cast featuring Rory Max Kaplan who gives the right mix of desperation and heart as Jerry Lukowski. His sweet tenor vocals in “Breeze of the River” send chills as they show his vulnerability. Clayton Howe fills his character Dave Bukatinsky with the anxiety of an out of work, rotund “everyman” desperately wanting to be the provider. Mia Gentile is Georgie Bukatinsky the spunky yet emotional anchor for Dave and the fun-loving leader of her girlfriends. She with Susan (Katie Luke), Joanie (Crystal Renee Wright) and Estelle (Kelly MacMillan) give an empowering rendition of “It’s a Woman’s World.”
Justin Wolfe Smith as Ethan Girard is a hoot as attempts to imitate Donald O’Connor result in crashes. Alex Fullerton infuses Malcolm MacGregor with the kind of angst of someone who might consider suicide. Smith and Fullerton have a poignant moment in their duet “You Walk With Me.” E Mani Cadet as the elderly Noah shows how lithe an old man can really be. Ian Knauer fills Harold Nichols with so much pride that we feel for his attempts to hide unemployment from materialistic wife Vicki played with flair by Emily Brockway. She sparkles with high-energy in “Life With Harold.”
Dakota Mackey-McGee is Pam, Jerry’s estranged wife, portrays a mother’s devotion to her son Nathan (Gavin Gronenthal) with sincerity. She wants a normal life for him despite the split from his dad. Gronenthal as Nathan gives a tender portrayal as Jerry’s son who knows his father’s failings but cheers him on anyway.
Director/choreographer, Keith Andrews, keeps emotional levels high while adding precise and enticing dance routines. The band under the musical direction of Michael McAssey drives on the action with gusto. Kelly Tighe’s set design keeps the pace quick with pieces gliding easily on and off the stage and a backdrop of red scaffolding that easily flies in and out for set changes. Kudos to lighting designer Riley Noble for impeccable timing especially in the finale’s reveal scene.
The Full Monty at The Gateway Playhouse is a delicious confection mixing so much heart to messages on second chances, self-worth, friendship and baring it all in the face of adversity with the cherry on top being Sally Struthers.
Patch
Go See The Gateway’s Sizzling Revival of ‘The Full Monty’
Tired of Long Island's cold 2026 Arctic winter? Then The Gateway's hot, hot, hot production of the hilarious and heartwarming musical comedy "The Full Monty" is just what you need to jumpstart the spring season. This show features the beloved, Emmy Award-winning television star Sally Struthers, who received a massive round of applause when she stepped onstage. Struthers' incredible star power, combined with the over-the-top talents of Director and Choreographer Keith Andrews and the herculean efforts of the entire ensemble and creative team, made this an unforgettable night of theater!
"The Full Monty," a 2001 Tony-nominated Broadway musical, was adapted from Simon Beaufoy's 1997 British cult classic film. The movie was set in the struggling industrial city of Sheffield, England, and centered on a group of laid-off steelworkers desperate to find new ways to support themselves and their families. With a powerful score by composer and lyricist David Yazbek and a well-crafted book by the legendary Terrence McNally, the setting was moved to Buffalo, New York, making the characters' employment struggles more relatable to American audiences.
The show started off with a bang with Franco Bianchi's smoking-hot portrayal of Buddy "Keno" Walsh, a professional male stripper who dazzled the women of Buffalo during a Girls' Night Out at Tony Giordano's club. During one funny scene set in the men's room, the girls performed the showstopping cabaret tune "It's a Woman's World."
In contrast, while the girls just want to have fun, their disheartened men congregate at a union meeting to pick up their unemployment checks and break into a darkly comedic song, "Scrap," in which they share one depressing fact after another about the bleak state of their emasculating circumstances.
Broadway star Rory Max Kaplan, a phenomenal actor with impeccable comedic timing, excelled in the role of Jerry Lukowski, a laid-off steelworker eager to strengthen his relationship with his young son, Nathan, played by the rising star Gavin Gronenthal, who shares this pivotal role with Theo Crossley. Jerry's pragmatic ex-wife, Pam, brilliantly performed by Dakota Mackey-McGee, continually pressures him to pay his child support, prompting him to devise an outrageous plan to launch a male striptease act with a motley group of five other unemployed men. Kelly MacMillan was outstanding as Estelle, Jerry's hot-to-trot friend with benefits. Kaplan showcased his strong vocals throughout the evening, and his heartfelt rendition of the reflective solo "Breeze Off the River" was one of the show's highlights.
Clayton Howe delivered a memorable performance as Jerry's best friend, Dave Bukatinsky, whose feelings of inadequacy and body dysmorphia earned the audience's sympathy. Howe, a natural physical comic, drew some of the biggest laughs of the evening with his awkward dance moves, and Kaplan and Howe mesmerized the audience with their outstanding duet, "Man." Mia Gentile rocked the role of Georgie, Dave's adoring but frustrated wife.
Alex Fullerton was perfectly cast as the painfully shy Malcolm MacGregor, who Dave and Jerry rescued from gassing himself to death in his car. Fullerton, Kaplan, and Howe's spot-on delivery of "Big-Ass Rock," a catchy song jam-packed with gallows humor, had the audience roaring with laughter.
The audience got a kick out of the kind but dim-witted Ethan Girard, played by Justin Wolfe Smith, who commanded the stage with his high-octane performance. Fullerton and Smith had strong onstage chemistry, and their tender duet, "You Walk with Me," was one of the most poignant moments in the show.
Broadway veteran Ian Knauer delivered an award-worthy performance as Harold Nichols, a proud, educated man who hides his unemployment from his free-spending but loyal and devoted wife, Vicki, convincingly portrayed by the energetic and vivacious Emily Brockway.
E. Mani Cadet stole the show with his memorable portrayal of Noah "Horse" T. Simmons, a man whose actions proved that age is no barrier to joy or performance. Cadet captivated the audience with his smooth, sultry dance moves during his soulful delivery of the hilarious R&B-inspired song "Big Black Man."
Sally Struthers gave a flawless performance as Jeannette Burmeister, a chain-smoking, wisecracking, piano-playing retired showbiz veteran who understands that desperate times call for desperate measures. With her deadpan delivery and sassy attitude, she encouraged the men to step out of their comfort zones, shed their inhibitions, strut their stuff, and strip off their clothes. Act II started on a high note with Struthers belting out musical one-liners in a riotous rendition of "Jeanette's Showbiz Number."
Knowing that the original movie was set in England explains the meaning of the show's title: "The full monty" is a British idiom meaning "everything," "the whole nine yards," or "the whole shebang." In this show's context, that would mean the steelworkers strip down to their birthday suits, right? Perform butt naked? Do they? Go see for yourself! Just remember, this musical is known for having one of the most spectacular finales you'll ever see on any stage. This triumphant onstage moment, when the "Hot Metals" perform the celebratory striptease routine to "Let it Go," represents steadfast resilience, true courage, and a deep sense of camaraderie.
The entire ensemble brought their A-game to this stellar production, and a big round of applause goes to Miles D. Hanna, Timothy Hearl, Lance Jewett, Katie Luke, Franco Tomaino, and Crystal Renée Wright.
