The Full Monty

I watched Pangdemonium's The Full Monty, their first ever production yesterday at the Drama Centre Theatre. Pangdemonium is a theatre company put up by husband and wife, Adrian and Tracie Pang. I only had the realization that the theatre company is Adrian's mid-way through the musical when I thought about the company's name. This is because I haven't had the chance to look at the program yet at this time. (By the way, they don't sell the programs, you just donate how much you can and take the program and it doesn't look cheap either.)

I first saw Adrian Pang perform when SRT brought "They're Playing Our Song" to Manila, I think about 10 years ago. He played opposite Lea Salonga and was really delightful there. I was a tad disappointed when I watched the musical again and he was replaced by Michael Lee. He's a very big star here appearing in various productions and I must say that it's well-deserved.

The musical is one enjoyable experience. Clocking in at almost three hours including intermission, the performers' energy never waned. I watched the matinee performance and it's almost hard to imagine that they still have another performance that night with barely two hours of rest in between. The entire cast was wonderful including Pang's own son who played Nathan. He was very adorable and I must say disciplined.

I have to admit that though I have seen the movie it was based on, I am totally not familiar with the musical and the songs. I did leave the theatre totally loving the songs and raring to get a copy of the soundtrack.

This musical is truly worth your time and money. They have another weekend left. Go catch it! It feels to me that no expense was spared in mounting this production. Their set alone has been set up with every little detail in mind. Imagine that kind of dedication translating to their performance and you're sure to get your money's worth.