RIGHT: Max Bialystock (Gary Rose) and Leo Bloom (Tony Campbell) butter up crazy composer Franz Liebkind (Kieran Davey)

 

Mel Brooks’ The Producers

Book by Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan

Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks

Directed by Zane C Weber

Choreographer Madalyn Milazzo

Presented by Blue Fish Theatrical Productions

Schonell Theatre

University of Queensland

St Lucia

 

THE Producers is a musical comedy about the joys and pitfalls of being a producer on Broadway and finding that one show that will go gang busters, however in the twist to this, it is finding that one show that will absolutely flop so as to make a mint from the money invested. 

Max Bialystock was once Hollywood’s king of Broadway, but now cannot produce a show that goes past opening night. Leo Bloom is the accountant who steps into Max’s life and through a very simple statement about being able to make more money from a flop than a hit, sets Max on the path to finding the worse play ever, the worst cast, and director to ensure success. Leo, who has had enough to being an accountant, and dreams of being a Hollywood producer, eventually comes around to seeing his dream could come true. 

The two main characters – Max Bialystock (Gary Rose) and Leo Bloom (Tony Campbell) are star performers and are well known for their repertoire of stage work. They worked exceptionally well together on stage as the confident producer and the timid accountant, through good comedy timing and wonderful duets, which highlighted each of their singing talents.

To get their scheme underway, Max drags the hapless Leo around New York, rounding up the writer of the play, director and holding auditions. The play they settle on, Springtime for Hitler has been written by  and they have to kowtow to him to get him to sign the rights over. Of course, Franz is certifiable.

Kieran Davey plays Franz with just the right amount of aplomb, arrogance and madness, necessary to the character and the scene in which he talks and sings to his pigeons was absolutely hilarious.  As is his audition, which lands him the part of Hitler in the show.

Roger DeBris (Jim Price) is the director that Max and Leo convince to put on the show, but of course let Roger have absolute licence in adjusting the ending and making it much more upbeat. Carmen Ghia (Robert Pigdon) is Roger’s personal assistant and is an absolute riot in his performance of same.

Both Roger and Carmen camp their parts beautifully, but Carmen wins the award for his wonderful swishy walk and staged exits. Roger wins the prize for the most sparkling ball gown (and having seen it in New York - yes it does look like the Chrysler Building)! 

All that is left is for a leggy blonde to be the leading lady – enter Ulla (Kimberly Chapman). How Kimberly remembers how to pronounce her character’s name without getting tongue-tied is beyond me. Behind these exceptional actors, is an equally exceptional cast, which adds colour and flavour to dance and song numbers throughout the show. 

And backing all of this talent on stage was the amazing orchestra, ably conducted by Julia Whiting. The music score that accompanies this show is diverse and big-band Hollywood, but the music that emanates from the orchestra pit sound as if this is second nature to the wonderful band of musicians.

This show is full of songs, dance, laughs and more laughs. It is easy to see the classic Mel Brooks’ humour coming through as he pokes fun at anything and everything. Of course, a show like this cannot be pulled together without a talented director, to get the best out of the actors and produce an incredibly slick and funny show.

Well done to Zane C Weber for doing justice to this show.

The set comprises of a three-walled backdrop with two doors and a window and was so well put together that I was having difficulty working out how they managed to change it to various sets that were being used. Lighting was used to not only add highlights to scenes, but also to disguise changeovers of set in the background.  

I enjoyed this show just as much as I have all of the other productions that Blue Fish have produced.

The tap numbers were great, the overall choreography was brilliant and the costumes superb.  Well done to choreographer Madalyn Milazzo and costume coordinators (Tessa Jane, Miranda, Natalie and Melissa).

I particularly liked the group of little old ladies, who Max has to ‘woo’ to get his money, even if the prosthetics two of them were wearing made it look like their faces were melting. The dance these ladies do with Zimmer frames has to be seen to be believed.

For me, I would have liked to have seen the scene with Ulla’s audition a little more burlesque and Hitler a bit more camp, but that is not to say that the performances are not spot on anyway.

I would thoroughly recommend that you get along to the Schonell Theatre and support this group in the last theatrical performance for 2011. If 2011 is anything to go by I am certainly looking forward to the repertoire for next year.

The Producers runs from 10-19 November 2011 at the Schonell Theatre, performances at 8 pm.

PAULINE SMITH 13 November 2011