THE PRODUCERS. Satirical musical comedy. Music and Lyrics: Mel Brooks. Book: Brooks and Thomas Meehan. Director/Musical Director: Neil Leachman. Choreography: Sinead Donnelly. Lighting: Gary Fargher and Leachman. Sets: Stephan Fourie and Allegra Whitehouse. Executive Producer: Daniel Enticott. Produced by Constantia Theatre Players. Masque Theatre.
SHEILA CHISHOLM reviews
Daily a zillion producers, produce produce to produce profits. It matters not what they produce. If a profit can’t be made, books must, at least, balance – certainly not run at a loss. That’s what’s happened to Max Bialystock (Mark Wilkes). It’s New York 1959 and the long time successful Broadway musical producer (King of Broadway) has produced his first flop – Funny Boy – a Hamlet musical. He’s in despair. The show closed after opening night (Opening Night) and Max has lost big money.
A sharp thinker, Max calls his nerdish accountant Leo Bloom (David Wilke), trusting he’ll fiddle the books to avoid tax and swindle backers. Too straight-laced to consider dishonesty, Leo unintentionally points out that if Max gets good backing to produce a production which he intentionally produces to flop, he could make a few million dollars.
Max, running with that idea, uses his wits to enlist Leo’s help (We Can Do It). Leo, who has long held secret aspirations about becoming a producer (I Wanna Be A Producer) eventually allows ambitions to override honesty (We Can Do It reprise). The two then start devising ways to produce a failure. Their scenario is Springtime for Hitler. An offensive theme designed to offend all religions, creeds and races and therefore guaranteed to fail.
It’s on their highly improbable scheming that authors Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan’s fun and games build. And Brooks’ music and lyrics make rollickingly good improbable/immoral fun and games.
Energy, enjoyment, professionalism
Casting musicals is tricky. Every performer requires accomplishment in triple threats. Yet, director Neil Leachman has so astutely picked and finely tuned this team that his six leads and 11 chorus members all act out their characters with the level of energy, enjoyment and professionalism a paying public expects.
Wilkes and Wilke are perfect foils for each other. Their voices are adequate, but where Wilkes is positive and driving, Wilke is diffident until his confidence grows as Wilkes co-producer, and he falls in love with Ulla (Ariella Barrett).
Interaction between ginormous Rob Coutts and stockily built Wilkes is stand-up comedy on its own. Coutts, as Franz Liebkind, (Max and Leo’s script writer for their planned flop Springtime for Hitler) still wears a German WW2 helmet. When excited he speaks pidgin German to his wooden pigeons, and remains a staunch Hitler loyalist. His performance is absolutely brilliant (In Old Bavaria). As are the OTT camp performances by “Broadway’s worst producer” Roger DeBris (Matthew Kingwill) and his twittery/mincing/fluttering assistant Carmen Gia (Stephan Fourie) (Keep It Gay).
It is around these deliberate exaggerations that we laugh. We learn too You Never Say Good Luck On Opening Night – it brings bad luck.
From many amusing scenes, one in particular is 11 geriatric old ladies, in blue lace gowns and feathers, singing and dancing around Max and Leo using their walkers for support. (Til Him). Sex kitten Ulla duly delivers sexual innuendos. She’s in her element with When You’ve Got It Flaunt It and never misses a beat, flaunting it in her pseudo Swedish accent. Sinead Donnelly’s choreography made up from low kicks, jumps, and skips admirably suited each number. Max and Leo’s Springtime for Hitler (unfortunately) triumphed. Fortunately The Producers does too.
Cape Town Theatre Guide: https://weekendspecial.co.za/stage-on-the-boards/
What: The Producers review
Where and when: The Masque Theatre, Muizenberg from 4 to 21 July 2018
Produced by: The Constantia Theatre Players
Book: Computicket, bookings@masquetheatre.co.za or 021 788 1898
WS
