Nina Metz

Compared to the relative austerity of newish venues at the Steppenwolf and the Goodman, there is considerable, if predictably tacky, charm in the recently unveiled Drury Lane Theatre in Water Tower Place. The onetime movie house is now again a legit playhouse where "The Full Monty" has debuted amidst The Full De Santis--as in Tony De Santis, the grand poobah of the Drury Lane theater chain, known for its Carol-Channing-threw-up-here decor. There's something weirdly fun about encountering that just off Michigan Avenue. So it's fitting that the theater's first production is weirdly fun, as well--despite the fact that it contains some of the most homophobic lines this side of a Jerry Falwell convention. The 2000 Broadway adaptation of the 1997 British film transfers the action from the north of England to the north of New York--Buffalo, that is--where out-of-work steelworkers convince themselves they can make a load of dough if they perform a one-night-only strip routine for the town's rowdy female population. To push a metaphor, Terrence McNally's book is the flabby spare tire here, while David Yazbek's indelible score and very funny lyrics make up for things like a nice pair of broad shoulders and a killer smile. Director Jim Corti has assembled a very likable cast led by Peter James Zielinski, who manages to sell the improbable story line with a deft blue-collar shrug.

"The Full Monty" plays at Drury Lane Water Tower Place, 175 East Chestnut, (312)642-2000, through July 10. (2005-05-24)

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