3 STARS, June 5-9. While there are plenty of enjoyable moments in the PPA’s amateur production of The Producers, Richard Davies finds it a strange choice of show for a graduation performance
The Producers is a celebrated 1967 Mel Brooks musical film starring Zero Mostel as theatre Producer Max Bialystock, who together with his guileless accountant Leo Bloom (played by Gene Wilder), hatches a plan to oversell interests in a musical guaranteed to be a first night flop, allowing them to keep all the investors’ money. They set out to find the worst play, the worst director and the worst actors to ensure failure. Inevitably, their choice to stage a camp celebration of the Third Reich called “Springtime for Hitler” results in a sell-out Broadway success.
The film was later turned into a musical which became a huge hit on Broadway itself in 2001, resulting in 12 Tony awards and a successful West End run in 2004.
Given the storyline, I wondered if there was some irony at work in the decision to produce this musical for Guildford’s PPA (Performance Preparation Academy) graduation show. It really is a very strange choice indeed. Firstly, it is impossible to step into the shoes of those comedy masters, Mostel and Wilder, without looking at best second rate. Secondly, for a cast of 35 actors of whom only 9 are male, why choose a show that has only one significant female speaking part, and that a stereotype blonde airhead secretary? The significant roles are all male and largely involve high camp, slapstick or painful overacting. On the strength of this production, if I was a female theatre student at PPA, I think I would be asking for a refund - a case of “Don’t put your daughter into stage school, Mrs Worthington”.
What saves the show – and why I’ve given it 3 stars – is that the song and dance routines are really extremely good and on their own are enough of a reason to see the show. The “Along Came Bialy” finale to Act 1, with all his octogenarian angel investors stomping around on their zimmer frames is delightful. Similarly, the “Springtime for Hitler” musical within a musical is wonderfully done, especially the spectacular Ziegfield Follies-style dance number with its swastika-shaped chorus line. Congratulations to Lewis Butler for the choreography and particular high praise for Olivia Hanlon who created the wonderful costumes.
Amongst the individual players, Jordan Harrison just about held his own as Max Bialystock, while I enjoyed the comedy dance routines of Jordan Newman and Keeley-May Clarkson as Leo Bloom and Ulla. Charles Camrose was very good as camp theatre director Roger De Bros and better still as a mincing Adolf Hitler, while Jack Oliver particularly shone as his assistant, Carmen Ghia.
One note about the production, at times it was a struggle to hear the voices over the backing track, which distorted at higher volume levels and became inaudible at lower volumes - I’m not sure if this was due to sound problems or limited microphone technique.
In conclusion, I would say that “the kids are alright”, but there must be better shows to display a more diverse range of talent at the PPA.
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