The Producers West End review – they’ve got it… and they’re flaunting it!
- Deorah Marks
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The Menier Chocolate Factory transfer is now playing at the Garrick Theatre
There was a certain irony in the fact that I had to weave my way through far-right protesters bedecked in Union Jacks to see this riotous West End transplantation of The Producers. After all, the genius of Mel Brooks’ comedy musical lies as much in its skewering of the ludicrousness of fascist ideology as its satire of showbiz.
Patrick Marber’s production, a hit for the Menier Chocolate Factory last Christmas, mines all the laughs in Brooks and Thomas Meehan’s Tony-winning book and adds plenty of its own, notably in the ensemble numbers. The staging of “Keep It Gay”, in which flamboyant director Roger DeBris (a scene-stealing Trevor Ashley) and his acolytes camp things up to 11, is jaw-achingly funny, while the show’s standout number “Springtime for Hitler”, culminating in DeBris’ entrance as the Führer on a man-pulled chariot, provides one of the theatrical moments of the year.
But it’s not all about the set pieces. It’s anchored by a pair of outstanding performances from Andy Nyman and Marc Antolin as titular producers Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, contrasting personalities who connive to stage a certain flop for financial gain (a wheeze which doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny, but let’s move on). Nyman has a near-permanent twinkle in his eye, often visibly restraining himself from laughing as the down-on-his-luck Bialystock, while Antolin’s neurotic Bloom has the requisite physicality of a man who looks like he’s left the coat hanger in his suit jacket.
They’re ably supported by some gloriously OTT turns from Harry Morrison‘s Nazi playwright-cum-pigeon fancier Franz Liebkind, Joanna Woodward‘s Swedish bombshell and vowel-elongator Ulla, and Raj Ghatak‘s supremely arch Carmen Ghia. But it’s a real ensemble effort, with hilarious cameos aplenty, including Jermaine Woods’ effete choreographer, Nolan Edwards’ surly statue, and a trio of lusty senior citizens from Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Esme Kennedy and Kate Parr. Listen out too for a brief snippet of Brooks himself, now just one year shy of 100.
Scott Pask’s wittily spare set design upscales well from the Menier to the Garrick, replete with clever touches such as the enormous safe into which Bialystock bundles anything from dodgy accounts to old ladies. The visuals are richly augmented by Tim Lutkin’s snappy lighting and Paul Farnsworth’s razzle-dazzle costumes and wigs, particularly during “Springtime for Hitler” where the inflatable headgear is given a silver sheen for added luridness. It’s a treat for the ears too, with the band, situated atop a platform at the back of the stage, equally luxurious under the baton of Matthew Samer.
The Producers has come back to the West End just at the right time, offering a giant slab of feel-good escapism and genuine hilarity when such things feel in short supply. And in Marber, it has found the perfect steward, a director with comedy in his fingertips and the intellectual heft to ensure it retains all of its anarchic spirit. Whether you’re a fan of the 1967 screen original or a newcomer, it’s got plenty of pleasures to flaunt.
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