For the uninitiated, The Producers is the Mel Brooks musical based on the Mel Brooks movie of the same name. A down and out producer (Max Bialystock) hatches a plan with his accountant (Leo Bloom) to raise $2 million for a show that is certain to flop. The show won’t cost anywhere near that much to put on, it’ll close in a night leaving them with a tidy profit and no need to repay the backers. Got all that? It’s not important. Basically Bialystock and Bloom have to make the worst show ever or they go to jail, Springtime for Hitler is that show.
Jason Manford was doing his best impression of Mathew Broderick as Leo Bloom, he’s a surprisingly good singer when his accent wasn’t straining. His take on Bloom was admirable if not consistent although There were times when it felt like he was trying a little too hard to prove himself. Phil Jupitus had some noisy fun with Nazi pigeon fancier Franz Liebkind and Corey English did the sleazy Max Bialystock justice.
The most dazzling (and I mean dazzling) performance though was given by David Bedella as Roger De Bris/ Adolf ‘Elizabeth’ Hitler (He’s descended from a long line of English queens apparently), a purposefully over the top and campy performance with an unusually deep voice. Hitler would be rolling in his grave, which I guess is point. The whole show was great though even if Manford will never be a fully convincing Leo Bloom (despite his new found singing voice).
The show’s highlight however had to be the surreal feeling of being in a packed audience that was clapping and tapping their feet as glittering Nazi storm troopers goose stepped and pirouetted across the stage, a golden Hitler heralding the coming of the master race complete with a dance number that featured swastika flags and banners in a scale and number not seen since the Nuremburg rallies. At least this time everyone is in on the joke.
The Producers is running at The Grand Opera House from Monday 4th to Saturday 9th May 2015
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