The Real Monty Keeps It Up, Empire Theatre, Sunderland

I WAS beginning to think I was losing my sense of humour - and possibly my libido too - after reviewing the last couple of productions especially for ladies. Depressingly unfunny and crude, not my cup of tea at all. But here's Michael Rattigan's Real Monty Keeps It Up and suddenly it's all fun again. A cheeky script with real actors, delivering some genuinely funny moments along with some seriously well-honed beefcake.

Linda Clarke was obliged to make a last-minute mercy dash by air from London to stand in for female lead Laurel Ford due to a back injury (don't ask!) and the resulting late start made for much hilarity in the audience who had spent an extra hour in the bar.

Linda was excellent, giving the part of night-club owner Rita a world-weary humour that every woman in the audience could relate to.

Local lad Richard Short as Rita's nave nephew Nobby didn't fool us for a moment; although for much of the first half his nerdy body language and speech were spot-on, we knew what a sex-pot he'd turn out to be.

When Scott Murtaugh and Peter Marlowe burst onto the stage in their firefighters' kit to howls of enthusiasm from the audience, they seemed bewildered: "Who'd want to see blokes like us getting their kit off?" wondered Scott. He was left in no doubt, and ably assisted by Nick Cooper and Matt Stirling, the lads provided an evening's entertainment that sent their largely female audience home rather late, but very happy.

* The Real Monty Keeps It Up is on again tomorrow and Friday. Box Office 0191-5142517.