MUSICAL REVIEW: The Full Monty ★★★

Full Monty
Everyman Theatre
Wednesday 25th June 2014

The Cheltenham Operatic Dramatics Society, CODS for short, returned to Everyman main stage after previously performing Beauty and the Beast last year. Included in the cast were a few people I had recognized and work with, through Avenue Q at the Playhouse Theatre last October.

This years production at the everyman was Full Monty, a show that was originally a film set in Sheffield, though this production was set in America. Having not seen the film previously, I was not aware of what the show was about, apart from knowing that the show builds up to the last scene, which involves a group of men stripping down.

The show itself flowed nicely, and even though it was just shy of three hours long, I hardly got distracted of thinking of something else, as the show had some good comedic scenes which had me and the whole audience laughing

I thought that the acting was fantastic, and they really played of the audience which I liked, and the singing was brilliant for an amateur dramatics show. The set was also very detailed and realistic, especially the toilets, and the 'ladies night' scene in Act One.

If there was a few things I had to pick on though, it would be the fact that the scene changes were long and tedious, and some of the scenes felt to me like they were only put there to fill the show with some more material, or for a cast member to get an outfit change for the next scene.

Overall, CODS production of 'The Full Monty' seems to have proved a real hit with myself and the audience, with a few catchy songs, and a great build up to the ultimate last scene, and even though there were a few let downs and dodgy accents at times, this didn't take away the enjoyment I had to watching this amateur production of a well known show, so hats of to all the cast involved.