AS a film, The Full Monty was pretty much... well, the full monty.

It touched on serious issues including unemployment, poverty, depression and sexuality and Robert Carlyle in the lead role was strong and raw.

Despite some of the down themes, it’s a feelgood movie that can be watched over and over again.

And the good news is that Simon Beaufoy’s tale about a group of men who turn to stripping to cope with unemployment translates perfectly to the stage as I witnessed at The Opera House in Manchester.

Gary Lucy (Danny Pennant in EastEnders) in the lead role of Gaz is more of a pretty boy than Carlyle and each time he raised his T-shirt the mainly female and gay male audience went wild. It’s maybe a tad unfair to compare the two, but Lucy doesn’t quite have Carlyle’s grittiness, but he gave a commendable performance nevertheless... and he’s very easy on the eye.

In fact the whole cast is strong. Louis Emerick, best known as Mick Johnson in Brookside, played Horse and stunned the audience when he busted some moves reminiscent of the legendary James Brown. That boy can move.

On the subject of boys, 12-year-old Fraser Kelly was phenomenal as Gaz’s son Nathan. This kid has a bright acting future ahead of him – he’s a natural.

A brilliant night’s entertainment was made even more hilarious when Rupert Hill had a cod-piece malfunction before the final reveal. Now that’s what I call two shows in one.

It runs until Saturday.