{"id":1451028,"date":"2025-09-16T11:51:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T10:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/?p=1451028"},"modified":"2025-09-16T11:51:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T10:51:13","slug":"mel-brooks-classic-comedy-musical-the-producers-is-a-delightfully-subversive-satire-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/performance\/mel-brooks-classic-comedy-musical-the-producers-is-a-delightfully-subversive-satire-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Mel Brooks\u2019 classic comedy musical The Producers is a delightfully subversive satire – review"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re sure many will already be familiar with The Producers<\/em> – Mel Brooks\u2019 classic comedy film which subsequently became a huge hit musical – but if you\u2019re not, here\u2019s a quick summary: it tells the tale of an ageing, failing Jewish theatre producer who takes financial advantage of sex-starved old ladies to raise the funds required to stage a queer musical about Hitler. It\u2019s a recipe guaranteed to offend pretty much everyone, yet there\u2019s a reason why this story has endured for the best part of 60 years: this delightfully subversive satire is utterly hilarious.<\/span><\/p>\n

A brief caveat: the original film dates back to 1967, so unsurprisingly some elements are showing their age. For example, there\u2019s very little in the way of female representation – Joanna Woodward plays Swedish secretary Ulla, which is the only lead role for a woman in the show, and it\u2019s a somewhat one-dimensional part (albeit played brilliantly for laughs). The Producers<\/em> is very much a man\u2019s story, which does make it feel somewhat of its time, given the increase in diversity and representation we\u2019ve seen on the stage over recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cast in this production – initially staged last winter at the intimate Menier Chocolate Factory, and now enjoying a West End transfer at the much-grander Garrick Theatre – are all absolutely fantastic. The central pair of aforementioned producer Max Bialystock (Andy Nyman) and his accountant Leo Bloom (Marc Antolin) – who becomes Max\u2019s unlikely business partner when he realises more money could be made from a deliberate flop than a successful show – is excellent; they have a wonderful chemistry and both bring an infectious energy to the stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Absolutely stealing every scene, however, is drag artist Trevor Ashley in the role of Roger DeBris, the worst director on Broadway. His queer take on the F\u00fchrer is quite something to behold; his arrival on stage is one of funniest reveals we\u2019ve seen in years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The creative team really shines here, too. Lorin Latarro\u2019s choreography is hugely impressive; the routine for \u201cKeep It Gay\u201d is an absolute riot. Scott Pask\u2019s set designs are fantastic, and Paul Farnsworth\u2019s costumes are completely outrageous.<\/span><\/p>\n

We could go on and on about director Patrick Marber\u2019s revival of The Producers<\/em>, but all you really need to know is that it\u2019s absolutely wonderful, and a complete joy from start to finish. In these turbulent times we could all do with a good laugh, and this production is just the ticket.<\/span><\/p>\n

GAY TIMES gives The Producers – 5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

More information can be found here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re sure many will already be familiar with The Producers – Mel Brooks\u2019 classic comedy film which subsequently became a huge hit musical – but if you\u2019re not, here\u2019s a\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":1451033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[205,557,531,21107],"tags":[684,5050,4646,21573,870,3741],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMel Brooks\u2019 classic comedy musical The Producers is a delightfully subversive satire - review - GAY TIMES<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tony-winning director Patrick Marber brings his revival of Mel Brooks' classic comedy musical to London's West End.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/performance\/mel-brooks-classic-comedy-musical-the-producers-is-a-delightfully-subversive-satire-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mel Brooks\u2019 classic comedy musical The Producers is a delightfully subversive satire - 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