Viv Hardwick reports on the stage show which has taken over the mantle of The Full Monty

GARY Lucy will be one of the guys leaving his hat on as the lead in The Full Monty which is stripping for action at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday.

In 1997, a British film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose, took the world by storm and became one of the most successful British films ever made. Now, the boys are back, only this time, they really have to go The Full Monty… live on stage.

Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar-winning writer of the film, has gone all the way with this hilarious and heartfelt stage adaptation that’s getting standing ovations every night on its current UK tour.

Former Hollyoaks and Eastenders star Lucy is no stranger to taking his clothes off, but he’s doing it for the first time on stage. “I had never consciously decided not to do theatre but I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career to have played so many memorable characters in some great TV series. When the producers of The Full Monty approached me about starring in the tour, I just thought that it was a great opportunity for my first stage experience. It’s a really strong script. All the characters have stories to tell, and the audience really follows that through. It’s a really great cast too, we all get on well. It’s all guys together and we’re just having a laugh.”

Beaufoy was also a stage novice. Even with a mantelpiece groaning with awards he admits that it was terrifying to begin with, but he was determined not just to create a carbon copy of the film on stage.

“I felt really strongly that audiences would want to come and see a really good play so that’s how I approached it. It was a steep learning curve for me and enormously invigorating to learn a whole new craft after 16 years writing for the cinema. I had to discover what works and what doesn’t. Ironically, it’s turned out that the story feels perfect on stage. It’s an ensemble piece about a group of men who are stuck and wondering what to do next,” Beaufoy says.

Although the movie earned more than £160m at the box office – the West End version was pulled after five weeks and producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers opted for a UK tour instead.

“I don’t really know the politics of what went on before, but that’s certainly not been carried forward into this production. We’ve got Roger Haines, an award-winning director, and a great line-up of cast and we’re playing to packed houses. The show has kept key elements from the film, but there is more character development and there are some really touching scenes,” says Lucy. He plays Gaz, an unemployed man under pressure because he owes child maintenance, which impacts on his relationship with son Nathan.

“The audition scene is hilarious and the audience always love the jobcentre scene. Everything has been taken away from these six guys and this is them, in a strange way, looking to empower themselves again. The audience follow that and you can feel the build as you buy into the characters and what they are setting out to do,” he says.

Chigwell-born Lucy, who is best known for playing DC Will Fletcher in The Bill, Danny Pennant in EastEnders and those incredible Dancing On Ice performances, is about as far from a Sheffield steelworker as Sean Bean is from running the Queen Vic as a Pearly King.

“It’s been a great challenge for me and the voice coach has worked hard with me and I’m really pleased the reviews have been so great. I have brush-up sessions regarding my dialect and I’m living and breathing this role. During the night my missus says I’m calling out in a Northern accent, so I’m well focused on keeping this going,” he says.

"I’ve been very lucky with my career,” Lucy adds. “The dates of the tour have just been extended into the autumn and I’m thoroughly enjoying this show at the moment.”

Both of Lucy’s children, India, nine, and Elvis, three, have been to see The Full Monty. “They’ve actually seen it twice, at Glasgow and Brighton, and now they have an idea what daddy does for a living. Otherwise, I’m just out on the road and not seeing them.”

  • The Full Monty is at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday. Tickets: £12.50 to £29.50. All ticket prices include a £1 restoration levy. Box Office: 01325-486-555 or darlingtoncivic.co.uk