AUBURN — A musical that typically ends with six regular guys strutting around
the stage — and taking off their clothes — will be given a local bump
and grind.

Yet, it’s still uncertain how much may come off.

When the Auburn-based Community Little Theatre begins auditions on Aug. 2 for the fall production of “The Full Monty,” the question of nudity is likely to come up again and again, director Ron Bouffard said.

“Already I have gotten some calls,” Bouffard said. “You can’t do ‘The Full Monty’ without doing the ‘full monty.'”

The story is an Americanized version of the British movie, nominated for an Oscar in 1997. Rather than set in Sheffield, England, this one is set in Buffalo, N.Y. This one is also a musical, with a collection of songs written for the stage.

The broad strokes are the same as the movie: a bunch of unemployed guys are desperate for money and hit on the idea of stripping for money. The fictional strip show ends with the men offering the audience the “full monty.”

“It’s really a show of our times,” said Bouffard, a Boothbay-based chiropractor in his day job. “It’s about guys who will go to what end is necessary to assert their masculinity as men and breadwinners.

The theater company’s leaders discussed those ends when they first introduced the idea of the show.

Nudity has never been an issue for the amateur theater, Executive Director Doreen Traynor said. While respected plays such as “Equus” and “Hair” have long incorporated nudity, Community Little Theater hasn’t dared to make the leap.

Then, “The Full Monty” came up.

“We read the script,” Traynor said. “I think our audience can handle this.”

Traynor first checked with the city, to see if the production would break any ordinances or laws. The question went to Police Chief Phil Crowell and District Attorney Norm Croteau. They saw no legal barriers.

“It does not meet the statute regarding exposure,” Crowell said. 

Just the same, when the theater company announced auditions last week, it unveiled
plans to limit the cast and crew to people 18 and over. The theater
also plans to add a suggestion for audiences that would keep children at home.

Bouffard hopes the guys will be willing to disrobe when their quick moment comes, but he’s unsure whether they will.

If they get squeamish, he might try some stage magic to keep the guys from feeling too exposed, he said.

“You just might have to come and see,” Bouffard said.

dhartill@sunjournal.com

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