The Producers

By Keith Boykin, in theater
Friday, October 18 2002, 6:00AM

Chicago was just the last of the plays I saw. The first, The Producers, was no laughing matter. I was curious to see how Brad Oscar (Max Bialystock) and Steven Weber (Leo Bloom) would stand up to the reputation of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and I was definitely impressed. The Mel Brooks musical tells the story of a Broadway producer and an accountant who scheme to create a Broadway flop so they can pocket the investors money and run. But the show, "Springtime for Hitler," turns out to be an unexpected success.

The Producers is a funny, big budget Broadway production with an all-white cast and enough European stereotypes to fill a full season of Hogan's Heroes. Max and Leo sing catchy tunes like "We Can Do It," "I Wanna Be A Producer" and "Where Did We Go Right?" that may make you sing in your seat, but some of the other songs make you wonder how the show got produced without offending everyone with its stereotypes.

The song "Keep It Gay" instructs the producers to include homosexual content in the play, as a household full of gay stereotypes and Village People ripoffs parade around singing. The show also gives us Ulla from Sweeden as the stereotypical buxom blonde, and Franz from Germany, the stereotypical ex-Nazi.

The big production number "Springtime for Hitler" is classic Mel Brooks, reminiscent of "The Inquisition" number in his movie The History of the World. If you like Mel Brooks, you'll love this production of The Producers.

© Copyright 2003 by Keith Boykin.