'It can get a bit raucous': Full Monty stars in Shrewsbury for Theatre Severn shows
When Gary Lucy takes to the stage at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn this week to star in The Full Monty the main thing on his mind will be this – that the women in the audience behave themselves.
After three years on the road with the box office smash hit he’s seen just about everything there is to see – and been astonished by the reactions of some fans.
He laughs as he recalls his experiences.
“You do get a few who go a bit far and don’t know where to draw the line,” he says.
“It’s the sort of show that can get a bit raucous and the audiences have been known to go wild.”
Lucy is familiar with the region having made repeat visits to the West Midlands since joining the cast three years ago.
The Full Monty is showing at Theatre Severn every evening from Tuesday to Saturday, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday.
He enjoys the warm reaction he habitually gets and considers it one of his favourite parts of the UK.
“I didn’t intend to be in the show for so long,” he says.
“But I’ve had such a good time and that’s just the way things have panned out.”
One of the reasons for his longevity in the part is that he gets on so we’ll with his fellow cast members and crew.
They’ve become a home-from-home family who look out for one another when they’re spending a long time away from loved ones.
“It’s the old cliché in interviews that actors say they all get on. But in this case it’s true. It’s not like that all the time.
"There are some shows where people can’t stand each other – and I could give you a few examples of that . . . but I won’t. Happily, we’re good together and we get on. The fact that we’re mates means working together is good fun.”
Lucy is just as well known for his TV work, having played the role of Danny Pennant in EastEnders, DS Will Fletcher for four years in The Bill and Kyle Pascoe in three series of Footballer’s Wives.
He also starred alongside Ray Winstone in She’s Gone and won an award for Hollyoaks.
And having spent three years on the road in The Full Monty, he may soon move back into TV.
“I’ve got some big news coming up and people will be seeing a lot more of me soon. I’d better not reveal everything just yet, but it’s safe to say I’m looking at a return to TV soon.”
For now, he’s content to be touring in The Full Monty and hopes his female fans in Shrewsbury can behave themselves.
