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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
The Producers
Verdict: Matches the movie genius
'Where did we go right?' cries crooked producer, Max Bialystock, as his plan to deliver a sure-fire flop goes hideously wrong. Mel Brooks' musical The Producers achieves the near impossible task of matching the genius of his orginal 1968 movie.
Nathan Lane is incorrigibly mischievous as Bialystock, delivering an awe-inspiring performance that manages to be delicately balanced whilst he fires on all cylinders.
Lee Evans as the timid accountant Leo Bloom is a revelation. He might be playing a clumsy, twitching character but when the music strikes up, he dances with all the grace of Astaire. Unlike many a clown turned actor, his charm is overwhelming without ever becoming sentimental.
Leigh Zimmerman, whose legs seem to define infinity, stops the show as a Swedish secretary with an eye to the main chance. Nicholas Colicos as Franz Liebkind, the Nazi dramatist who yearns to show 'the real Hitler', exudes so much energy you could plug him into the national grid. These two actors alone merit the price of the ticket.
The staging, by Susan Stroman, is inventive, the sets are excellent and the band is the best in ages. Where did they go right? In almost every way possible.
