T’S an NC16-rated production about a group of out-of-luck men who decide to do a strip show.

The musical-comedy – adapted from the 1997 Oscar- nominated British movie of the same name – has male and female nudity.

But some Singaporeans who caught local production The Full Monty were more surprised when a 10-year-old actor used a swear word on stage.

In one scene, the protagonist, Jerry, is told by his son, Nathan: “Show them you’re not a loser. I love you, you big f***.”

The show, which ended its 21/2 week run at the Drama Centre Theatre last Sunday, was done by Pangdemonium!, the new production company of local actor Adrian Pang and his wife Tracie,who directed it.

Pang played Jerry, and their sons, Zachary, 11, and Xander, 10, took turns to play Nathan.

It also starred Lim Yu-Beng, Daniel Jenkins, Hossan Leong,Andy Hockley and Ebi Shankara.

Members of the audience The New Paper spoke to said they didn’t expect the young actors to use the word.

All of them were aware that it was Pang’s sons playing the character.

Said Ms Angelique Lim, a 31-year-old copywriter: “My first reaction was that Adrian must be a very open father. I don’t know many fathers who would let their children not only swear in front of them, but at them.

“This may be a musical and the lines, scripted. But our society is still rather conservative. My own dad would not hear of it even if I wanted to rehearse such a line in a play with him.”

Mr Charlie Goh, a 25-year-old civil servant, agreed.

“All the adults were shooting their mouths off in the musical and that was hilarious.

“I thought the young boy delivered his lines well considering that he must know it’s kind of taboo for kids to swear.

“I was also thinking, if my parents heard me say something like that, even at this age, they would slap me and call me rude and disrespectful,” he said, with a laugh.

>> Adrian's kids know the difference

This article was first published in The New Paper.