Chairman Committee Friends Trust Fund Threshold History
Our 2010 Production was
. ‘The Producers’ opened on Broadway in 2001, where it was an instant hit, received great reviews, and won an incredible 12 Tony Awards. Susan Stroman won best director and best choreographer, and watching the show it is easy to see why when lines of dancing zimmer-framed old ladies and parades of storm troopers camply goose stepping in the formation of a swastika, are just a few of the show’s many delights. But then, what director would not envy the opportunity to work with the wonderfully audacious material that Mel Brooks has provided.
You should not expect the music to be particularly original, but the songs are very funny and the show a lot of fun. The music owes a lot to the style of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, with hints of traditional German bands and the Jewish bits suggesting Fiddler on the Roof. Mel Brooks wrote the songs "Springtime for Hitler" and "Prisoners of Love" for the original film version which was ably scored by John Morris, who worked with Brooks on most of his films. More than 30 years later, Brooks has written additional songs for this musical version, which owes much of its impact to the arranging talents of Glen Kelly.
The resulting musical is very satisfying as a feel-good show, with the expected song and dance routines, a touch of romance, lots of situational humour and some wonderful characterisation.
The story concerns Max Bialystock, a failing Broadway producer and his sidekick Leo Bloom. Between them they have come up with a scam that will make them millionaires by producing the worst ever musical on Broadway. They finally come across a script by ‘ex’-nazi storm trooper Franz Liebkind, which tells of the rise of Adolf Hitler in song and dance. - The most offensive musical imagined, or at least one would think!
The musical has nazi arm-band wearing chickens, dancing storm troopers, old ladies with euphemisms such as “Lick-me Bite-me” and “Hold-me, Touch-me”, a song with the refrain “Don’t be stupid / Be a smarty / Come and join the Nazi party!” And the marvellously scandalous closing number “Spring Time for Hitler”, which sees an outrageously camp Fuhrer take centre stage.
As the lyrics say….. “Keep it light, keep it bright, keep it gay!” and that is exactly what ‘The Producers’ does.
The critics defied anyone not to laugh at this brilliant display of sheer foolishness. An absolute delight!
Now read the review....
 The Producers - Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society02/02/2010 It was one of the great Broadway hits of the past decade and last night Mel Brooks' musical The Producers made an impressive transition to the Theatre Royal stage courtesy of the Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society. New York, 1959, and Max Bialystock is a down-on-his-luck producer. Once all he touched turned to gold; now the papers are queuing up to slate him. As he admits, “the reviews come out a little faster when the critics leave at the intermission”. Shows such as 'When Cousins Marry' and 'Funny Boy', a musical version of Hamlet, have failed to resurrect the self-styled King of Old Broadway's career - so along with his nerdy accountant Leo Bloom, he hits on a plan: get a huge amount of financial backing for the worst show ever, watch it fold after one night and make off with the money. When they find pigeon-keeping Nazi Franz Liebkind's musical Springtime for Hitler and team it with outrageously camp director Roger DeBris, who “couldn't direct you to the bathroom”, they're sure they'll have a flop on their hands. But some things are so bad they're good… The only signs that this was the first night of an amateur production were the tardy scene-changing and a rather muted opening minute or two, but the cast quickly found their voices. Nick Bird was assured as Bialystock and Laurence Guymer was winningly energetic as the neurotic Bloom. Holly Graham's vocals were superb as the Swedish blonde bombshell actress Ulla and Adrian Wright was hilarious - first as DeBris, then by taking the 'star' role in Springtime for Hitler as a mincing Fuhrer with “a song in his heart”. It is a show better known for its humour than for sing-along songs, but numbers such as Along Came Bialy and Keep it Gay are certainly memorable. The ensemble cast totalled almost 50 and as ever with the N&N had a live orchestral backing. Together they more than did The Producers justice: it was well sung, danced and acted and, most of all, very funny. |
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