Susan Welsh previews The Producers, which visits Aberdeen next month with a host of famous faces
Fed up with it feeling more like winter than spring? Need an injection of sunshine in your life – something that will make you forget all your worries and cares? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then I have a solution: grab a ticket to see The Producers, the outrageous, hilarious musical comedy which visits HM Theatre, Aberdeen, from June 22-27.
It’s a month away, so you may wonder why I’m writing about it now. Well, there’s also a simple answer to that. Having seen the show in Manchester, I can promise theatregoers a night they’ll never forget, one which will have them rolling in the aisles with laughter and rubbing their eyes because I suspect, like me, they won’t quite believe what they are seeing, such as the live version of Springtime For Hitler, a song and dance routine that’s even more camp and outrageously funny that the version which featured in Mel Brooks’s Academy Award-winning movie of the same name.
Having taken Broadway and the west end by storm – picking up 12 Tony Awards and three Olivier Awards en route – it will be one of THE big shows to see at HMT this year, so it’s not surprising to learn that tickets are selling fast for this must-see show which has a host of household names starring in it, including award-winning comedian Jason Manford as Leo Bloom, comedian Ross Noble as Franz Liebkin, and west-end star Cory English as Max Bialystock.
It tells the story of smooth-talking New York show producer Bialystock, once the king of Broadway, who finds his latest show, Funny Boy – a musical version of Hamlet – closing after just one night.
But opportunity knocks the following day when nervous and timid Leo Bloom, an accountant who dreams of a life in showbusiness, turns up to do his books and accidentally lets slip that Max could, with a bit of over investing, actually make more money with a flop than a hit show.
They cook up a plan to stage a show that will be a guaranteed flop and set off to find the worst show they can find, striking gold when they discover escaped Nazi Franz Liebkin.
Franz, who has a passion for pigeons and Hitler, has written a truly awful play called Springtime For Hitler.
They persuade him to let them stage the play and, having secured the rights to it, set off to persuade the worst director in town, Roger De Bris, that he’s the perfect man to add glitz and glamour to the Third Reich.
Add to this mix a glamorous blonde, Ulla (Tiffany Graves), and a host of old ladies, desperate to invest in the show in return for more than a little flirting with Max, which leads to another laugh-out-loud scene when Max woos a string of outrageous old ladies.
It’s a pretty energetic scene and includes a cupboard full of photographs of each lady, as each time one of the ladies comes in, he has to quickly swap the photo on display around.
“The little old lady routine is a fun scene to do, but I have to concentrate on it. The cast are very naughty and sometimes swap the photos in the frames to put me off. I seem to recall, in one show, serenading a photograph of the Queen,” said multi-talented Cory, who can act, sing and is an excellent dancer.
Another surprise on the night is Jason Manford. Many of us will be familiar with his work as a comedian and appearing on TV comedy panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats. He’s not only excellent as the nerve-riddled and socially awkward Leo, but during the show reveals a fantastic singing voice and is a pretty nifty dancer, too.
The show bounces along at breakneck speed and, be warned, you may find yourself laughing so much at one line that you miss the next one.
Camper, cheekier and much ruder than the original cult movie, and featuring a riotous mix of eccentric characters, show-stopping songs, and household names as stars, it is arguably the funniest Broadway musical of all time.
The Producers is at HM Theatre, Aberdeen, from Monday, June 22, until Saturday, June 27. There are performances at 7.30pm nightly and matinees on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are priced from £17.50
to £41.40. Contact Aberdeen Performing Arts box office on 01224 641122 or visit www.aberdeenperformingarts.com