The Producers
What I would give to have been a fly on the wall when Mel Brooks was pitching his next satirical hit to Broadway producers. The thought of him describing his idea for a flashy, razzle dazzle number featuring a flamboyantly prancing Führer complete with Germanic paraphernalia and Swastikas would be enough to make anyone’s jaw drop. But in true Brooks fashion, his Tony Award-Winning musical The Producers boasts such a high calibre satirical penmanship, that against all odds, everything goes right!
Based on Brooks’ own 1967 comedy film, The Producers opened on Broadway in 2001 with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the starring roles and ran for over 2,500 performances. Sydney’s newest production lands at the small but mighty Hayes Theatre, care of Joshua Robson Productions. Such is the fervour for Brooks’ hit show – with audiences anticipating much-loved numbers such as ‘I Wanna Be a Producer’, ‘Keep it Gay’ and ‘Springtime for Hitler’ – that the season completely sold out before it had even opened, and a transfer to Parramatta’s Riverside Theatres was added on to meet demand.
Anton Berezin (The Phantom of the Opera, Evita) and Des Flanagan (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), who are doing their best Lane and Broderick impressions here, lead the cast as the down-and-out Max Bialystoch and the chaotically shy Leo Bloom. The piece sort of pitter-patters through the first few numbers, before the larger-than-life supporting characters swoop in to give it the electric shock...