Ipswich-Regent bound The Full Monty cast leave their hats on, well it is cold out...

Based on the 1997 film, it's on until March 28. Picture: Matt Crockett (Image: Archant)

The five actors, dressed in their security guard outfits from the show’s finale, strutted along the street, turning heads and bringing smiles to the faces of the passing female shoppers and office workers heading home.

Ahead of last night’s opening at the Regent, cast member Louis Emerick said: “First nights are always exciting in a new town.

“We’ve heard a lot about Ipswich, I’ve actually got a couple of friends coming to see us and a cousin I haven’t seen for a long time so all in all we’re expecting a good crowd.

“It’s a great story and if people go with it they can’t help but be uplifted by it.”

Andrew Dunn, Martin Miller, Gary Lucy, Rupert Hill and Louis Emerick turn heads on Ipswich Corn Hill. Photo: Gregg Brown

Oscar-winning writer Simon Beaufoy has adapted his own BAFTA winning film script about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers who, with nothing to lose, form a male strip act. The tour has been playing to packed houses.

Ex-soap star Gary Lucy, making his stage debut as ringleader Gaz, admitted some audiences got more of an eyeful than they bargained for as the cast honed the final routine earlier in the run.

He added: “At the end of the day everybody goes home with a smile on their face. You can lose yourself a bit in these guys’ journey. People have a great time and we obviously feed off that atmosphere so it’s great.”

Featuring songs by the likes of Donna Summer, Hot Chocolate and Tom Jones that will be familiar to fans of the 1997 film, the cast also includes Dinnerladies’ Andrew Dunn, Brookside’s Emerick, Coronation Street’s Rupert Hill, Martin Miller and Bobby Schofield.

The Full Monty is at the Ipswich Regent until March 28. Read my full interview with Gary Lucy here and Catherine Watts’ review here. See more pictures in tomorrow’s Ipswich Star.