Who would have thought six macho steelworkers would start a strip show make money?

Only in the Broadway smash-hit The Full Monty, which is coming to Eisenhower Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Full Monty is based on the 1997 Oscar-nominated British film The Full Monty, which takes place in northern England.

However, the musical transplants the setting to Buffalo, N.Y., which allows for some jokes about Buffalo wings and Buffalo wieners.

According to those involved, the musical is almost identical to the film, but has more characters and many more laughs.

"The show is about six steel workers down on their luck," said Laura Matalon, The Full Monty's national spokeswoman. "So they charm an audience."

In other words, they strip down to their knickers.

In order to raise money for a friend in dire need of financial assistance, the six unemployed steelworkers plan a strip show in The Full Monty.

Wearing nothing but G-strings, the men are a smash hit with the local women and end up helping out their down and out friend in the process.

So what does The Full Monty mean?

"The Full Monty gets its title from a British slang expression meaning 'to take to the fullest extent,'" said Laura Sullivan, Center for Performing Arts spokeswoman.

"The expression may trace its origin to World War II British Field-Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery. 'Monty,' as he was nicknamed, insisted on a full English breakfast with all the trimmings each morning. Thus, if someone received the whole lot, he got the full Monty," Sullivan said.

While the high point of the plot concerns men dropping their drawers, the musical is not just about stripping. It's really about six ordinary guys working as a team to help a friend and who revamp their lives for the better.

The plot balances a knee-slapping comedy with real issues, as each of the six men has a problem to deal with. As one character is battling for the custody of his son, another is hiding his unemployment from his wife and suffering from a weight problem.

Although the plot can be serious, during all striptease scenes in The Full Monty the music by David Yazbek has a catchy pop feel.

The Full Monty opened on Broadway to rave reviews in October 2000 and gathered 10 Tony nominations, according to its press release.

"It did exquisitely on Broadway," Matalon said. "However, it was robbed from its Tony Award nominations from another smash hit, The Producers."

Matalon said audiences who enjoyed The Producers, would love The Full Monty.

"The female audience is not the only ones who will love this show," Matalon said. "The show is witty, charming, and a sure crowd-pleaser."