The Producers

Firstly, allow me to explain:

1. The Producers is a favourite show of mine.

2. PODS is known for its excellent standard of productions.

3. Expectations were therefore very high. No pressure! 

As I take my seat in the sold out Key Theatre, an announcement is made regarding the silencing of mobile phones, by one of the characters from the show, Franz Liebkind (I wish all societies would do this, as all too often a mobile phone disturbs both the audience and the cast on stage.) The band strike up the overture and it is clear that this is going to be another great production from PODS. The sound from the excellent band in the pit, expertly led by resident Musical Director Steve Hession, is superb - beautifully balanced, crisp and clear - and plaudits must also go to the technical team here for the sound throughout the show. Headed up by Production Manager John Lawrence, both sound and lighting were excellent with some lovely attention to detail, in particular the sound of traffic noise from outside when a window was opened and some hilarious sound effects for cats/people falling down the stairs! Lighting was creative with some lovely mood changes where necessary as a scene progressed. These subtle alterations would perhaps for the most part go unnoticed, with the audience simply getting a sense that the atmosphere feels different now. However, subtle changes in how the set looks and feels allow for each scene to develop and flow as the story unfolds. Beautifully done.

The set this year was superb, necessitating many scene changes and keeping the backstage crew on their toes. Credit goes to all of the behind the scenes team, dressers and props for the smooth running of this performance. All too often in amateur productions there are scene changes that take too long, a prop out of place or a quick costume change that doesn’t quite make it on time. Not this time. PODS has a great team all working well together to ensure the smooth running of each production - and the evidence is clear to see on stage, with enormous set pieces arriving smoothly and in good time. No mean feat with limited space in the wings and backstage at this theatre. Costumes too, were excellent, the attention to detail was evident once again, from the stunning opening number gowns, right through to the finale scene. With a vast number of costumes this show is not an easy one to  dress, but credit goes to Lucille Ash and Amanda Villamayor - when show shoes match your costume and have sequinned detail on the front, you know the costume team are good! The superb wigs were provided by Morley Creations - having theatrical wigs on almost every character makes such a big difference to the production values and this show looked thoroughly professional in every aspect.

And now to our cast, this year directed by Paul Collings and with choreography by Lisa Collings, their first time with this society. With many years of experience, Paul and Lisa were bound to pull off a great result - and with a talented team of performers to work with, they created between them a fabulous show. In my opinion, the casting of this this production was simply perfect. Leading the cast are Alex Broadfield as Max Bialystock and Harvey Jones as Leo Bloom. Their opening scene set the tone for what was to come and was simply wonderful. A regular lead with PODS, Alex pulled off yet another great result, being perfectly suited to the role and playing Max to great effect with some lovely comedic moments and great characterisation. His rendition of ‘Betrayed’, a very wordy song with some tricky character swaps, was particularly impressive. An excellent choice for this role, with the relationship between Bialystock and Bloom played out beautifully by these two actors.

Harvey Jones was, for me, the epitome of the neurotic Leo Bloom. Portraying the angst-ridden wannabe producer to a tee, it was a joy to see how this young man has developed his skills in recent productions - his singing, his comedy acting and even his dancing were all brilliantly in character, not to mention his expert falling over technique! Harvey has a wonderful stage presence and his facial play is superb, with a cheeky grin here and there and the odd glance, in character, to the audience. This is a talented young man, with great stage presence and confident posture, able to turn his hand to any role he is given with apparent ease and superb comic timing. For me, the absolute star of the show.

The next great double act is that of Rob Bristow, as the fabulous Roger de Bris, and Edward Smith as his wonderfully camp sidekick Carmen Ghia. More likely to be found directing PODS’ productions, this is the first time I have seen Rob perform on stage - and he exceeded all expectations. Pulling off both a Hitler costume and a sequinned gown, wig and heels with ease, he captured all aspects of this character beautifully, with wonderful movement and physicality. A superb performance. Edward too, played a hilarious role, bringing this fabulously larger-than-life character to life for the audience and giving us his all. Congratulations on a brilliant performance. As we are first introduced to these two characters, in Roger’s house, we see what accomplished actors these two gentlemen are, and each and every larger-than-life member of the household was a joy to watch, right up to the party scene where the audience were left clapping along and having a thoroughly good time. Entertainment at its best.

Philip Booty as the Hitler-loving German Frank Liebkind, played one of his best roles yet with PODS. With a great German accent and lovely physical skills, Phil looked every bit the Nazi sympathiser, billing and cooing to his pigeons and dancing around the stage with ease, all whilst sporting lederhosen and a swastika. Jessica Carter gave us Swedish bombshell Ulla (I won’t attempt the rest of her name!) Capturing the accent in both her acting and whilst singing too, Jess conveyed the apparent innocence and naivety of Ulla, whilst at the same time oozing Swedish sex appeal. The chemistry between Ulla and Leo later on in the piece was palpable and it was a joy to watch their relationship develop, culminating in their eloping to Rio, whilst Max languishes in jail. 

I would dearly love to mention every other member of the cast, as PODS has a superb pool of talent to pick from for its ensemble - indeed a great many of this supporting cast are usually found  in leading roles. Suffice to say that there was not one weak link in this production, as is so often the case in amateur theatre, a remarkable achievement! Congratulations go to each and every one of you. However, special mentions must go to Charlie Haynes as the Nazi stormtrooper, Hannah Joy Ogden and Amanda Villamayor as the usherettes, Jennie Dighton for her wonderful showgirl, the delightful Lucille Ash as Hold Me Touch Me, Mark Harriss in his various guises and all of Roger de Bris’ production team: Gabriel Bowtle, Sam Maxwell, Charlie Haynes again and Karen Dyer. Excellent performances throughout. I must also highlight back-flipping little old ladies, zimmer frame choreography, and the final vignette with Max and Leo in silhouette at the top of the staircase. A fitting end to a simply wonderful production - and with two more big productions in the pipeline, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, followed by Shrek The Musical, I look forward to more great things to come from this superb society.

Huge congratulations go to each and every member of this production - front of house, backstage crew, the band, techies and performers - you all created a superb piece of theatre. PODS are at the top of their game, other societies take note - this is how it’s done.

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