There was a period of time when musical theatre creators temporarily averted their gaze from Hollywood as a prime source for material and looked to the British film industry instead. Films like Billy Elliot and Kinky Boots had very successful musical adaptations on Broadway, but the trend started with The Full Monty. Transcendence Theatre Company has chosen it as their second fully-staged Broadway musical production with a show running at Glen Ellen’s Beltane Ranch through Aug 20.  

Set in Northern England, the 1997 film told the tale of a group of unemployed steel workers who turn to stripping as a way to make a fast buck and resolve assorted financial problems. While labeled a comedy, the film addressed several serious issues like economic distress, child custody disputes, body image concerns, homophobia, and suicide.

Buffalo, NY is the setting for Terrance McNally’s 2000 adaptation (with music and lyrics by David Yazbeck) where unemployed mill worker Jerry Lukowski (Michael Burrell), desperate to pay back child support and maintain custody of his son Nathan (Zee Hubbard), enlists best friend Dave Bukatinsky (Jason Simon) to join him in a one-night-only male revue that would provide financial relief to them and the other men they recruit.

There’s Malcom (Justin Anthony Long) a lonely and friendless soul who Jerry and Dave save from taking his own life, efficiency expert Harold (Jesse Swimm), who efficiency-experted himself out of a job and is more-or-less blackmailed into becoming the group’s choreographer, Noah aka “Horse” (Lee Palmer), an older gentleman who can really dance but has some hip issues, and Ethan (Nicolas Garza), a young man who has no gift for dance but is “gifted” in another area.

With the assistance of pianist Jeanette Burmeister (Mary Stout), an earthy, foul-mouthed show biz veteran who’s seen it all, they plan a show that’s scheduled for the same time as a Buffalo Bills game. Jerry decides the only way to compete is to give the ladies something they’ve never seen before – The Full Monty! (Don’t ask how a British slang term finds its way into the mouth of an unemployed Buffalo steel worker.) 

Of course, all adversity is overcome by the group as they adapt to the changing circumstances. 

Which, coincidentally, is what the Transcendence Theatre Company is trying to do. Having been booted from their usual site at Jack London State Park as a result of lawsuit brought against the California Department of Parks and Recreation by the California State Park Rangers Association, this show is being presented on the grounds of Beltane Ranch. It’s a lovely venue, with easy access off of Hwy 12, but the positioning of the stage means the audience is staring into the sun for the first hour while the permit-mandated limited height of the stage also makes seeing a great deal of the show challenging.

Which is a shame because so much of what you hear is very entertaining. The show is well cast, the singing of Yazbek’s witty and heartfelt songs is terrific, and the live orchestra really delivers (music direction by Matt Smart and Associate Kenji Harata). Individual moments stand out – usually involving audience favorites Palmer and Stout – and Tom Berklund really works the audience as the only legitimate male revue dancer, but sightline limitations really hampered the enjoyment of a lot of this show, particularly the choreography by director Josh Walden.

Perhaps the repositioning of the stage is still possible, and the compacted single-level seating might be spread out a bit to reduce the bobbing and weaving necessary to view the show in its present configuration.

This Full Monty and its artists deserve to be fully seen.

Transcendence Theatre Company’s ‘The Full Monty’ runs Fri-Sun through August 20 at Beltane Ranch, 11775 Sonoma Hwy, Glen Ellen. Ranch opens at 5pm, show starts at 7pm. $45–$180. 877.424.1414. Contains strong language, adult themes, attempted self-harm, and brief nudity. bestnightever.org

Photos by Mimi Carroll

This review originally appeared in an edited version in the North Bay Bohemian.