The new Drury Lane is going to get credit for a lot of things: the spanking new, well appointed space is Mag Mile posh; the programming is a notch or two more provocative than its suburban competition of the same size; and if the production values of this, its first production are any indication, we're going to see musicals on par with those of another theater town we can't mention here (as the second city complex seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy). But the best part of this company's debut is that it has chosen to premiere with a great musical that never got its due. (In aforementioned city, its thunder was stolen by a monsoon of a musical called The Producers.)

Pop rock composer Yazbek has crafted a musical with hummable tunes, funny, unforced lyrics and an overall staying power that could possibly sustain an open run. Corti has cast the now well known story - six slumpy, unemployed blue collar guys make some dough by working as strippers with performers both unlikely and excellent. Led with confidence by admirably unglamorous lunkheads Zielinski and Lindner, this winning ensemble is as good as any assembled this year. Although the second act doesn't come on as strong as the first (a typical dilemma of the genre, created here by McNally's book) and Corti's version doesn't look much different than the original, it's spare, handsomely lit by designers Bruce and Shelley Strasser Holland and has a gold asset in scene stealer Matthews, who plays a grizzled show biz vet. More musicals should look and sound like this.