Max Crowland describes the The Producers as a must-see for any older students.
‘If you liked our show tell everyone but, if you think it stinks keep your big mouth shut,’ sings the full company during the curtain call of Patrick Marber's production of Broadway classic The Producers. A bold request of any reviewer, but one that need not be a concern, as indicated by the fact these lyrics can only just be made out above rapturous cheers and applause. This is just one of many ‘meta’ lines and jokes to be expected in a musical about Broadway musical producers.
In the first London revival of the show since its original run in 2004, when Mel Brooks adapted his original 1967 film into a musical for Broadway and the West End, we see our titular producers Max Bialystock (Andy Nyman) and Leo Bloom (Marc Antolin) endeavour to put on the worst show in town after discovering they can make more money from a failure than a hit.
The musical is a celebration of irony, centred around the fact the surefire flop Jewish characters Bialystock and Bloom are excited to produce is dubbed ‘a love letter to Hitler’. It feels apt to mention at this point that this show is only suitable for older students, with all kinds of stereotypes poked fun at and a narrow tightrope walked throughout. The plot's victims are fascism, neo-Nazis and Adolf Hitler, which keeps the audience smiling rather than scowling.
The production is much more than a vehicle for shock humour. Razer-sharp choreography from Lorin Latarro is both mesmerising and hilarious as it takes us through tap, salsa and samba, while the live band shift effortlessly between klezmer, oompah and jazz.
We have a dynamic cast in Joanna Woodward as Ulla, Trevor Ashley as Roger De Bris and Harry Morrison as Franz Liebkind. It is only because of this dazzling ensemble cast that the brilliant Andy Nyman and Marc Antolin didn't steal the show.
We are told before the curtain is raised that Nyman has been suffering with the flu, however no one could have possibly suspected any signs of illness, especially when deep into the second and final act he performs a one-man high-speed recap/medley of the entire show so far.
Antolin also endears himself to the audience with the development of Bloom from nervous accountant to the confident Broadway producer he always dreamed of being.
This is a must-see for any older students: excellent performances, an expert example of ‘metatheatre’ and, perhaps most importantly, a thoroughly entertaining evening.