Audiences giving whole heart to 'Full Monty'

It's the whole caboodle, the full Monty -- not a half or a partial or anything in between -- but don't call the Colorado Springs Police. If anything, they'll be in the audience with everyone else clapping and cheering the hit Broadway musical.

"Obviously it would be false advertising if we didn't go the full Monty, but it's done so tastefully that people are left wondering, 'Did I see what I think I saw?'" says Jeremiah Zinger, who has the lead role as a blue-collar worker. "If it had a rating I'd say it's PG-13."

Zinger's understudy is Christian Neilsen, formerly of Colorado Springs.

Tony Award winner Terrence McNally's traveling stage adaptation of the 1997 British film, which arrives next week at Pikes Peak Center, is about a whole lot more than guys stripping, Zinger says. It's about losing the obsession with how someone looks, about the close friendship of men, about guys going to bare extremes to help a buddy with problems.

"The story is so good, you get involved in the story and you almost forget there will be a strip thing. By the end of the show people are cheering for the characters," Zinger says.

"My all-time favorite role, this is it," says the Los Angelesbased actor, who has had regional dramatic theater roles and some spots on soap operas. "Any time you have a script written by McNally backed by a pretty good music score, it's a lot of fun."

Those who have seen the movie will spot some changes. It has been moved out of industrial Sheffield, England, to Buffalo, N.Y.

"You don't have to fight through the thick accents, and it makes it a lot easier. Still, you don't lose the atmosphere of an industrial city with a down economy."

It hasn't played in Buffalo, but it would be hilarious, Zinger is certain.

Audience members most antsy about seeing "The Full Monty" are the men, the 30-year-old bachelor says. "It scares men away, but the sad thing is the humor is geared toward the men, very blue collar, lots of male issues. If men can get through the first five minutes, a Chippendale's number, it's smooth sailing."

If baring so much of his body makes him want to go to the gym and get pumped, he must resist the urge. "It's in my contract; it's not allowed," he says. "They want normal, everyday people. Besides, the show itself is a workout for me. Three hours every night of running around and jumping is exhausting enough."

No matter, when the tour winds up May 1 in South Carolina, he says, he'll miss it, the whole thing... the full Monty.

details

Road production of "The Full Monty"

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday

Where: Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.

Tickets: Starting at $32, TicketsWest outlets, King Soopers, Independent Records, Pikes Peak Center Box Office, World Arena Box Office, 520-7469 or www.ticketswest.com

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