Buffalo. Thank goodness it was Buffalo.

As much as I loved the 1997 British movie "The Full Monty," thick accents made the dialogue difficult to understand.

DeSantis debuts magnificent Mag Mile theater showcase Not so with the riotous stage musical that opened Friday night at the gorgeous new Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place.

Fortunately, this "Full Monty" takes place in, yes, Buffalo, and the accent is American.

Aside from the venue and the addition of music, little has changed in the story about a bunch of laid-off factory workers who plan a strip night at the local club.

As the curtain goes up, it's girls night out. Georgie (a vivacious Kelly Kunkel) is the take-charge gal.

Male stripper Keno (Scott Alan Jones) takes it all off quickly, and the gals charge forward to stuff bills into his silver thong that covers only his, well, you know.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, the out-of-work husbands/boyfriends hit the stage running with "Scrap." They're weary of their jobless state.

A flash of "West Side Story" choreography, "Scrap" could be the Jets, 30 years later and out of work.

After the guys' number, the ladies who are on man safari take the stage with "It's a Woman's World."

The 2-hour show moves that fast with no filler.

Anyway, while the girls are eyeballing Keno's assets, Jerry (Blue Island native Peter James Zielinski) and Dave (Michael Lindner) sneak into the nightclub to find out what's going on. They catch a glimpse of Keno's act.

Dave mocks Keno's hip thrust moves, and a light goes on in Jerry's brain.

They can do the same thing.

Jerry is convinced. For one night only, the guys can take over the local club and put on a Chippendale-style strip show.

Jerry thinks the gig will be a money-maker and, on top of that, it'll show the wives, girlfriends and ex-whatevers, these guys have as much to offer as the highly paid stripper.

And it will provide him with quick cash needed to catch up on child support.

Segue to auditions.

Enter Broadway/rehearsal piano player Jeanette in the person of the absolutely hysterical Renee Matthews.

From her first line, Matthews has the audience in her clutches as the riotous, ultra-candid, aging audition maven.

While Jeanette's stories go back to, well, not quite King Arthur, this performance could place another Jeff Award on Matthews' shelf.

Alas, auditions are pretty sad.

Finally, two distinctive male hopefuls add life to tryouts.

First there's Ethan (James A. Barry) who tells Jerry, Dave and Jeanette he has a special talent. When they ask what, he drops trou and displays his talent.

All are impressed. The audience view is, er, rear only.

The scene is tons of fun.

Noah "Horse" Simmons (a superb Berwick Haynes), a large man with a limp enters. He is the only African American to audition.

When he kicks into gear with "Big Black Man," the limp vanishes and Horse musically airs myths about black men.

While the "The Full Monty" storyline really is far-fetched, the characters are not, especially the two leads, Jerry and Dave.

Divorced from Pam (Barbara Helms), Jerry is months behind in child support. He struggles to keep his life afloat and maintain legal visitation with his adolescent son, Nate (an outstanding Ben Ratskoff).

Jerry truly is lost. Zielinski totally steps into Jerry's persona Ñ a downtrodden, confused guy who simply wants to get his life into some shape.

As the quintessential fat guy, fully aware of his extra poundage, Lindner's Dave is funny and sad, a happier guy trying to escape the fat kid's body.

Actually, there is not one weak performance in the cast.

Musical numbers, while not memorable in the hit song sense, move the plot forward.

Choreography hits a high note in "Michael Jordan's Ball," where the guys dance and mime basketball moves.

And the final production number, well, it's just so much fun. Even the clergyman and his mother sitting behind me had a good time.

Oh, the term "full monty"? Check out http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/monty.htm.