A theatre full of gleeful women can only mean one thing: Simon Beaufoy's The Full Monty is in town, and it doesn't disappoint.

For the few who don't know, the story follows six unemployed men from Sheffield on their amusing quest to form a male striptease act to ensure that protagonist Gaz has enough money to regain custody of his son. The narrative is often described as ‘feelgood', despite touching on serious issues of unemployment, feminism, homosexuality, party politics and a crisis of masculinity in Sheffield during the Thatcherite recession. The play touched on the interpersonal relationships of the film but kept them light to maintain an uplifting mood and theatrical experience.

With the film attracting millions of fans worldwide, it was always going to be a tall task creating a stage production for a knowing audience waiting desperately for one thing and one thing only. Many tweets expressed the sole desire to see Eastenders' Gary Lucy in the buff, resulting in a certain buzz of anticipation running through the New Theatre last night. However, the hilarious one liners (sometimes missed due to frequent raucous laughter) and inclusion of iconic moments from the film – think cling film, think dole-queue dancing – kept the audience gripped right through to the climax.

Simon Beaufoy was resolute on bringing The Full Monty back to its Sheffield setting. To this end, the steel skyline of Sheffield, or rather, its steely decline, was brought to life on stage with the superb set design and seamless manoeuvres in this production. The Margaret Thatcher statue was a particularly nice touch. Movement was well choreographed around the set, but of course the choreography came into its own with the hilarious dance routines of the bumbling and stumbling characters.

The staff at the New Theatre always provide an amazing overall experience, so if you're looking for a fantastic evening right down to the bag of peanuts in the interval, get down to see The Full Monty until Saturday. Will you get the full monty at The Full Monty? My lips are sealed. Leave your microscopes at home, take your hat off and settle in, because as Lomper says, “we're looking for bollocks”.