Savannah Stage Company bares it all in production of 'The Full Monty'

After nine seasons of making theater accessible, and a season of fearlessness, Savannah Stage Company (SSC) of course had to close their tenth season with a bang.

Since 2012, SSC has brought drama to the Savannah public, performing classics in Forsyth Park, Service Brewing Company, and other places around the city with around ten folks taking on multiple roles.

While proud of all they were able to accomplish with their resources, SSC dubbed their tenth season the “Season of Fearlessness” and took a leap into uncharted territory. From November 17-20, they aim to bare it all in their production of “The Full Monty.”

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Based on the original British comedy (1997) by Simon Beaufoy, playwright Terrence McNally and composer David Yazbek brought the story to America in 2000 as a musical.

The musical adaptation follows six recently unemployed steelworkers as they’re backed into financial corners with no other option than to get creative. After seeing their wives fawn over a touring Chippendale performance, the men get the idea to create their own local strip act. As they prepare to go “the full monty” (British slang for “going nude”), they confront their own insecurities and other challenges life throws at them.

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If the story of having to find alternative work during an economic downturn hits a little close to home, that was crucial in SSC’s decision to perform this musical during this time of economic crisis in this post-pandemic world.

“We try to find plays that we feel are necessary,” says Wesley Pridgen, co-founder, production manager, and lead actor playing Jerry Lukowski. “It's very important to try to reflect our life through our art.”

With a 16-person cast and a performance venue at the historical Tybee Post Theater, this will be SSC’s largest undertaking to date.

Because of the majority male cast, the company was initially worried they wouldn’t be able to find as many male actors as they needed. “Like there's not enough men literally in this town that do theater to be able to put on this production,” jokes Pridgen.

However, when they brought on choreographer Michael Ferguson, Pridgen says it had a significant influence on the cast search.

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Ferguson had seen the film in the ‘90s and was more than excited to choreograph the musical adaptation. “I love the idea of these men completely out of their element and just embracing a new art form,” he said. “That was my challenge as a choreographer—how to get these guys to feel comfortable doing a seductive routine, while still maintaining their element of where they came from and their storyline.”

While musical theater is typically considered a feminine art both as a participant and an audience member, Pridgen is hoping the male-focused storyline will reach at least one man in the audience whose wife dragged him out.

“Males are the number one people who do not talk about their issues,” Pridgen said. Some of those issues covered in the play include body image, homosexuality, unemployment, impotence, depression, suicide, fathers’ rights, and working class culture.

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Especially when it comes to body image in the performance industry, Ferguson believes “The Full Monty” plays a significant role in dissolving model standards placed on normal bodies. “Normally, if you go to a strip club, or even a burlesque show, you have an expectation of what you're going to see,” he said. “This play kind of reverses that script and it takes you to these average guys, showing that they can do just as good if not better than your average strip club.”

Despite most of these issues being reflected in a male cast, they’re definitely not exclusive to male-identifying folks. “I've definitely had a lot more people reaching out about this show than any other show I've done this season,” said assistant director Kat Pilkus. “I think because it touches on so many different groups and issues. It really is a play for everybody.”

Not only does the production follow the six male leads, but their wives and ex-wives, their children, queer-identifying folks, etc. It’s Pilkus’s greatest hope to get those people, the people that know nothing about musical theater into the seats at Tybee Post.

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Quoting her former professor, she says, “‘There will always be somebody in the audience who's never seen theater before and that's who you need to do the show for.’ Getting them to come to a show is, for me, what it's all about.”

When it comes to how they hope the audience feels after, Ferguson echoes that sentiment from his perspective as a dancer. “ I hope it just encourages people to go out and dance, not to sound corny or anything,” he said.

“Not even to just dance, but just to feel good about themselves, just to be like, ‘Oh, I just want to go out and move.’”

Pridgen narrows it down to something even simpler. He just wants the audience to feel something, which reflects many artists’ most sincere wish. “Maybe it made them very angry and at the end of the day that’s fine too,” he said.

“As long as we got them out of the house, sitting in front of a live show and made them feel something, that’s what we’re here to do.”

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA events: The Full Monty by Savannah Stage Company