The Leicester Operatic Players this week are putting on one of the most brave shows a company can produce: The Full Monty.

The show, based on the 1997 film, opens with workers being laid off from a steelworks in Buffalo, New York. Jerry (played by Chris Cooper-Hayes) is one of these down-on-his-luck workers and struggles to work out how he is going to afford continuing to pay childcare support for his son Nathan (Aaron Kirby).

With his also newly jobless best friend Dave (Allen Smith), Jerry identifies a potentially lucrative opportunity after seeing how popular the Chippendales are at a local bar. But when they attempt to sneak into the ladies-only night at the bar through the men’s bathroom, they inadvertently overhear Dave’s wife Georgie (Alice Oakley) and Jerry’s ex-wife Pam (Alexandra Elliott) talking about them, heightening their personal insecurities.

A key theme throughout the musical is men’s mental health and depression. For Jerry, his inability to financially support his son and to find a job he deems worthy of a man challenges his personal view of masculinity. Whereas Dave struggles with body image, especially regarding his weight. The Leicester Operatic Players Society is raising money for Andysman club, a men’s mental health charity which supports men going through some of the issues raised in the show.

Both Cooper-Hayes and Smith excel in portraying these issues, emoting strongly through their eyes and facial expressions giving true depth to their characters’ inner turmoils. Their on stage chemistry also lends convincing weight to the characters’ friendship.

Jerry and Dave encounter Chippendale Buddy (Alex Thompson) in the bathroom, Jerry’s desire to set up his own strip act intensifies. Now they just need to find four more men to round off the act.

They encounter their first recruit, Malcolm (Ben Cussack) in a park. Malcolm, a security guard at the steelworks the others were laid off from, has his own mental health issues and is trying to kill himself when we first meet him. Although this is clearly a dark moment, the show approaches the topic with a level of levity. At first, this seemed crass but seeing the friendship form between Malcom and the two leads through the darkly comedic Big-Ass Rock, I ended up appreciating the approach.

Former foreman Harold (Paul Knight) is next to join the group, in part due to his dance skills. Again, we are shown how the layoffs have impacted Harold who is trying to keep up the facade of success despite struggling to meet the perceived expensive tastes of his wife Vicki (Lizzie Bywater-Florence).

With the help of showbiz veteran Jeanette (Emma Bamford), the four men audition former co-workers to fill out the rest of their troupe. This is where we meet the dodgy-hipped Horse (Andrew Bond) and enthusiastically endowed Ethan (Tobey Hill). Both immediately exude character and are instantly likeable. Hill’s energy is infectious and Bond’s audition routine is a lot of fun to watch.

The highlight of Act 1 is the final dance number Micheal Jordan’s Ball expertly choreographed by Ellie Newbrooks. The dance makes full use of the stage and is full of dynamism and constant movement. Along with Neil Robert’s musical direction of the talented band, this number was the perfect high energy way to close off the first act.

Throughout the show, the cast all have opportunities to showcase their skills. Smith and Knight’s You Rule My World is wonderfully sung, with both well expressing the inner emotions of the characters through voice. Cooper-Hayes’ high point comes with his rendition of Breeze Off the River, sung with emotional grit.

Though it must be said that the vocal highlight of the show is You Walk With Me, led by Cussack’s beautifully smooth vocals and touchingly supported by Hill’s brilliant voice. With effective minimal choreography, the focus is entirely on the pair’s voices which gave me goosebumps and really found the soul of the song.

Steve Elliott’s direction is pacey and effectively staged. There is minimal downtime between scenes, helping to maintain audience attention throughout. Elliott well manages the tricky subject matter balancing the seriousness of the issue with a light touch.

At times, the audio quality was somewhat muffled making hearing all the dialogue tricky throughout. It’s also unfortunate that the musical adaptation by Terrence McNally and David Yazbeck shifts the location of the original Full Monty story from Sheffield to the US, as the location was part of what made the film so iconic—though this is no fault of the Leicester Operatic Players.

The final payoff of the show is made all the more satisfying due to the audience being truly invested in the characters thanks to the skillful acting by the cast. I highly recommend getting to the Little Theatre this week to see them go The Full Monty!

Photo credit. Poyner and Mee photography