Thursday 2 April 2015

The Producers. Milton Keynes Theatre.

I know nothing about this musical except there might be Nazis in it and it was written by Mel Brooks.  I figured that if a Jew wrote it – it cant be offensive so I thought I'd give it a go.  After all, what else is there to do on a Monday night in Milton Keynes?

 Reasons to see this:

1.     Humour

From the first scene I knew it was going to be funny.  I loved the cast singing about how bad a show was. Great characters and a brilliantly written script.  Good start!

 2.    Costume changes

What I began to notice is every number was a big production number.  I did not count the amount of costume changes but there must have been a lot. I loved it.  This was a show that really gave you everything.  Even women in pink sparkly costumes coming out of filing cabinets!

3.    This show has a real story.

It’s a story about two producers who realise that they can make more money from a Broadway flop than from a success.  Now that’s an interesting story.  And it felt like there was some truth to it too.
 
4. The scenes were fantastic.

I loved the outfits, the character definition.  The songs were so strong.  Each song was a massive production number in its own right.  Every scene had been thought through and was executed brilliantly.

5.    You won’t all get this but one of the funniest bits was when Cory English accidentally sat on his horn.  I don’t think he hurt himself badly but said to the audience that he won’t be doing that again.  Apparently having the horn hurts.

     6.    Cast

The cast were amazing.  They all were brilliant actors, singers and dancers.  There was no weak link in this casting performance.  I have mentioned a few below.

 
Gayer than frank

David Badella is wonderful. I am a big fan of his work.  I have seen him in Jerry Springer the Opera, The Rocky Horror Show and more recently in Peter Pan.  But nothing – NOTHING – had prepared me for him in a dress and being more camp than Franknfurter from Rocky! And to top it all he had Louie Spence by his side!  This show makes Pricilla Queen of the Desert feel butch!  David is so very talented.  He can sing.  He can dance.  He can act.  And boy can he camp it up!  He looked amazing in his dress!  His first number is ‘Keep it Gay’ and boy do they stick to the script.  Louie also deserves a mention – he makes us all laugh as he kicks his legs and steals every scene.

 Is Phil German?

Phil Jupitus plays Franz Liebkind, who is an old German Nazi.  He was – well Phil.  I thought he did a sterling job and made the role his own.  I wonder if he really likes pigeons?  I bet a few have gone missing from the show. ;)

 Jason can sing!

Jason Manford is one of the producers.  Forgive me Jason, but I had no idea of how great your voice is.  I was really really impressed.  I saw you Monday night and watched you on Ordinary Lies on Tuesday night.  What am I going to do on Wednesday?

 
Swedish?

The love interest was played by Tiffany Graves. That girl was cartwheeling across the stage.  And has a body I am envious of.  She played the ‘dumb blonde’ to perfection.  Endearing and charming.

 
Corrr its Cory!

The star of the show was Cory English who played Max Bialystock.  He was in almost every scene and was funny, could sing dance and had a presence on the stage that you just loved.  He was truly loveable. And gave an outstanding performance.  You might not know his name initially but I will now never forget him.

Forget what are you going to do on a Monday night. We should be doing this every night!

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