Review: The Producers at the Garrick Theatre
Mel Brooks’ tale of jaded Broadway producer Max Bialystock and accountant-turned-wannabe Broadway producer Leo Bloom’s hunt for a sure-fire flop is a classic for a reason. But is this new staging at the Garrick a hit? Read our The Producers review to find out.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you’re looking for something fun, glitzy, camp, and hysterically funny, this is the show to see.
This production, the first major London revival of the musical since 2007, has an edge to it that the movie versions don’t. Bialystock’s office is dull and grubby, as is Andy Nyman’s Bialystock. It’s a performance that makes you think that this isn’t a man you’d want to meet, but you also feel a little bit sorry for him in his desperation to find a palpable hit. Marc Antolin’s Leo Bloom comes in to help with the accounts, full of idealised dreams of being a Broadway producer and maybe three seconds from a panic attack at any given moment. Both performances complement each other as the characters navigate the hunt for a sure-fire flop to make far more money than they would from a success.
Harry Morrison’s Franz Liebkind is amazing. There’s not a minute where you don’t believe that his dream for “Springtime for Hitler” is anything but entirely serious, even as he watches Trevor Ashley’s Roger Debris masterfully mince his way through directing the show through a haze of sequins and delusion.
The Producers has everything I wanted from an evening in the theatre watching a musical: sparkle, a good love story, perfectly synchronised pigeon choreography, and what must be one of the hardest working ensembles in the West End. The pacing is perfect, keeping what could slip into farcical on the right side of the fine comedic line. Everyone in this show is clearly having the most fun being a part of the company, which I think is always a good sign.
The Producers has something for everyone, even if you choose to ignore any deeper critical analysis of comedy’s power to combat even the darkest characters and watch it entirely superficially. The four and five-star reviews of this production’s original run at the Menier Chocolate Factory speak for themselves. It’s one of the best shows I’ve seen all year… and I can thoroughly recommend the themed cocktails at the bar to sweeten the deal!
What did you think of The Producers?
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