Let me give my two thumbs up to "The Full Monty," which is playing its last two shows Friday and Saturday night at the Oakland Center for the Arts. Or at the place I know as "across Boardman Street from our bullding."

I know another Vindy guy was, at times, rough in his http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/may/04/oakland8217s-8216full-monty8217-too/" target="_blank">"Monty" opinions. That's what we pay him to do. If he wrote everything as "great all the way; go and see," he would not be doing his job. 

I know I paid for two tickets and it was money well spent.

(About the only thing that challenged my senses is that I'm from Buffalo, and I can attest to the fact that not everybody's name is of Polish or Italian descent, as the Buffalo-based script would have you think. I mean, there is a lot of Polish and Italians. But there are plenty of my Irish and Slovak kinfolk -- along with a bunch of other ethnicities.) 

That qualifier aside, I laughed throughout the show. The following headline, based on the other Vindy guy's review, has lingered on our web site for a couple weeks: 'Full Monty': too long, but enjoyable.  

I didn't notice the time. I did notice laughing.

It was my first time at Oakland. I like community theater. It's pure, it's cozy, it's personal. Knowing the cast adds a bit to the appeal of community theater, I'm sure.

I don't know any of this cast. But after 2-plus hours watching them and their shaking Montys, I'm just hoping that should I meet them, they simply offer to shake their hand and not anything else. 

Unlike any other play I've seen, this ending was the first time I'd seen an audience (maybe 100 of us) literally getting louder as the play grew to a close.

In case you don't know the story, several regular guys are out of work and out of inspiration. One guy decides to create a male dance troupe, a sort of anti-Chippendales, seeing it as a cash opportunity. The guys don't deserve to be deemed dancers. They don't deserve to be deemed sexy. That's what makes their striptease all the better. To enhance their show, they plan to show their -- well -- enhancements. You know -- their man parts. 

The whole show builds toward the guys' "take-it-completely-off" number, which also closes the play.

As each article of clothing came off, the Oakland crowd grew louder. When the actors got down to their boxers, my wife was literally shrieking. Sh-riek-ing.

The dancing and prancing continued as the boxers went to these Speedo-like things.

From there, with my wife bouncing in her seat, it went to (http://www.oaklandcenter.com/" target="_blank">click here if you really want to see. 18 or older, please).