San Diego Musical Theatre's "The Full Monty"

        The Full Monty is a whoo-hoo-hoo show, especially for women in the audience. Always has been. Always will be. That’s not to say that The Full Monty, now nearly 18 years old after first opening at the Old Globe Theatre, isn’t likable or enjoyable. Sure, it’s a one-bit wonder, as in “Wonder when the guys will take their clothes off?” Yet its story of six unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo who decide to dance-strip to make ends meet and to – here’s the dollop of seriousness –validate themselves, is an undeniable crowd pleaser.
       So it is at the Horton Grand Theatre downtown, where San Diego Musical Theatre’s winning ensemble earns its hoots and hollers. Steven Freitas, Jonathan Sangster, Danny Stiles and Ron Christopher Jones lead the way, with Joy Yandell and Devlin ensuring that the men don’t completely steal the show. Choreographer Paul David Bryant and director Neil Dale orchestrate all the antics nicely on an undersized stage that gets crowded but never out of control. (Review originally published in San Diego CityBeat on 1/31/18.)