Last night Roger and I went to see Mel Brooks's musical satire The Producers at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London's glitzy London Bridge.
First time I saw The Producers was 21 years ago. I loved it then. I love it still.
In the play Jewish producer Max Bialystock (Andy Nyman, excellent) and his nervy accountant Leo Bloom (Marc Antolin, brilliant) try to produce a sure fire Broadway flop to keep all the investment money for themselves. Fortunately for us, but not for them, in real life Mel Brooks has done just that but made it a hit. Who knew a musical tribute to Adolf Hitler would ever become such a comedy smash?
Director Patrick Marber gets the tone just right. We are laughing with the right people, and laughing at the wrong 'uns.
Speaking of which, Franz Liebkind (Michael Franks, perfect comic timing) the Nazi sympathiser, steals every scene he is in. As does Swedish actor-cum-secretary Ulla (Joanna Woodward, stupendous voice).
Trevor Ashley (monstrously delightful) plays Roger de Bris, the ultra camp director of the Broadway show who becomes a last-minute fill-in for the part of the Führer. When he appears, complete with gold dress and chariot, the comedy reaches its hysterical pitch.
The songs are great too. Not a dud; the wide-eyed I Wanna Be a Producer, the fabulous Keep It Gay, the hopeful We Can Do It and the deadly catchy Springtime for Hitler. The barrage of fantastically satirical lyrics keep coming too: "Don’t be stupid, be a smartie, come and join the Nazi party," sing high-kicking sparkly hot-panted stormtroopers.
I've not laughed so long and so hard in ages. The songs were fantastic and the whole production left us lost for words.
The current run is sold out. But when it transferred to the West End as it is sure to do…. Go, go, go!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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