Theatre / Comedy
Review: The Producers
Welcome to NYC, where washed-up Broadway producer Max Bialystock (the incredible, indefatigable Cory English) has sired yet another flop. Enter Leo Bloom (Jason Manford, in fine voice), an accountant with a comfort blanket and a secret dream of becoming a producer – and the scene is set for the ensuing mayhem.
It’s all pretty silly, and this includes the loose plot – Bloom works out that it’s possible to make more money from a flop than a hit, if they simply shut down the play and keep the capital. Of course, the resulting Springtime for Hitler, designed to offend, is hailed as a ‘satirical masterpiece’ and Bialystock is left wailing: “Where did we go right?”
The guffaws come thick and fast in this slick production that moves from one high-octane dance number to another, barely pausing for breath. Phill Jupitus as the kooky Nazi sympathiser-playwright is a welcome addition – even if his accent is not quite (Third) Reich.
Two standout performances come from Louie Spence as the lisping, mincing assistant Carmen Ghia, and the excellent David Bedella (“Heil myself!”) as director Roger De Bris. Boasting more sequins than Liberace, their literally dazzling number Keep it Gay, Keep it Gay is a highlight.
The Producers began life as a 1968 film by Hollywood legend Mel Brooks. Brooks later made the 2001 stage show, which was in turn made into a film. Unfortunately, the sexual politics are still stuck in 1968 – a Swedish blonde who strips to her underwear on a casting couch and is delighted to be made a receptionist; a token check-shirted lesbian with a deep voice. In 2015, it’s cringe-worthy. The endless stereotypes of the gay fop, the Irish NYC cop, and the randy old ladies are about as subtle as a flying brick. By the end, it was all more than a little tiresome. Overlook this, however, and this American-Jewish hit will steamroll you over.
The Producers continues at Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday, May 2. For more info and to book tickets, visit http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-producers/bristol-hippodrome/
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