The Producers, at the Marriott Theatre, has a high-kicking, goose-stepping, lusciously-costumed ensemble. Photo courtesy of Dan Rest___________
Though the set-up requires a universe governed by capitalism as practiced in modern America, the plot is classical farce: a theatrical producer, acting on his accountant's unwitting suggestion, schemes to secure a fortune through defrauding his financial investors. By engineering a project certain to fail, thus absolving him of the responsibility of repaying the show's supporters, he can then retire on the surplus funds. The accountant must be inveigled into the plan, of course, lest he blow the whistle on the swindle. But apart from that, nothing can go wrong—can it?
What distinguished Mel Brooks' 1968 film was the sheer savagery of its humor. Hollywood had jeered Adolf Hitler during the war but, by 1968, the Third Reich was relegated to snapshot gags on Laugh-In. The script chosen by our corporate crooks, however, is a romantic comedy entitled Springtime For Hitler, its machinations forcing them into the company of unreconstructed nazis ( gasp! ) , homosexual transvestites ( oooh ) , bosomy odalisques ( pant! ) and posturing artists ( haw! ) , all of them—even our heroes—portrayed with the scope and subtlety of a live-action cartoon.
None of this should be shocking to 21st century sensibilities—did I mention the sex-crazed dowagers right out of 1950s-vintage Playboy magazine?—so the musical version of the film-ABOUT-a-musical had to find a PLAY amid the hi-jinks, with an actual story and characters. And this is how neurasthenic number-cruncher Leo Bloom was converted into a bona fide protagonist, progressing from cowed anonymity to fully realized manhood—not to mention winning the fancy of the princess—as a result of his adventures with the amoral Max Bialystock.
Ross Lehman, as the rapacious Bialystock, and Guy Adkins, as the self-effacing Bloom, have been playing these respective roles for most of their careers. But the latter goes the extra mile to create a Cinderella-man whose blossoming we applaud heartily ( especially when conveyed in a Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers pas de deux with the statuesque Angela Feeney ) . A diverse cast features the tag-team of Bernie Yvon and George Keating as a flamboyant director and his consort, along with Michael Aaron Lindner's self-styled hagiographer and a high-kicking, goose-stepping, lusciously-costumed ensemble tossing off bon mots without missing a beat. The real star of the show, however, is director/choreographer Marc Robin, whose Noah's-Ark processionals and wagon-wheel promenades keep the pace lively and stage picture vibrant throughout.
Playwright: music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
At: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive,
Lincolnshire
Phone: 847-634-0200; $45
Runs through: Dec. 2