The Producers

Every now and again a stage musical comes along that takes the theatre world by storm – “The Producers” was one of those musicals, it’s pedigree was awe inspiring, based on the 1967 Mel Brooks film with all its irreverence and slightly dubious subject matter but sent up superbly by the genius that is Mel Brooks. It came to the stage in the early 2000s and brought with it the irreverence and subject matter of the film and the rest is musical theatre history, and I am glad to say Tinkers Farm Opera are now firmly ensconced as part of that history.

From the off there was a feeling that you were in for a special night at the theatre, musical numbers fizzed along with style and pace, along with Tim Harding’s brilliant Musical Direction and Emma Harley’s perfect choreography added to the abundant talent on display and enjoyed by an appreciative and excited audience.

The premise of the show is simple – a down on his luck Broadway producer, Max Bialystock and his accountant, Leo Bloom scheme to get rich by producing a guaranteed flop on Broadway. With the story established, Emma Harley’s production really launches itself into the stratosphere with the amazing pairing of our two leading actors – Daniel Cox as Max and Richard Cooper as Leo, took the stage by storm, wowing their audience with their artistry, talent, comedic timing and pinpoint characterisation.  A true delight to watch! They were by no means on their own – a great supporting cast all played their part too! Rebecca Bate as the siren, Ulla, was comedy gold maintaining her Swedish character coupled with her inept secretarial skills and with great song and dance skills, ‘When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It’ was brilliant. Matthew Morgan made a lovable fanatic as Franz Liebkind , obsessed with the Nazi party and his pet pigeons, Matthew showed incredible comedy talent, maintaining his outrageous character much to the delight of the audience. Roger de Bris, the cross-dressing Broadway director and budding Judy Garland who relishes his leading role in the potentially disastrous ‘Springtime for Hitler’ show and was played to the full by Tom Bowes -  a truly convincing portrayal of an utterly unbelievable character – top marks. Tyrone Howell as Roger’s possessive live-in lover over-acting and over-reacting magnificently, an amazing character that had you watching his every movement (especially his walk!) and had you rolling in the aisles (well laughing uproariously anyway!) Diane Hingley’s Hold-Me Touch-Me, one of Max’s wealthy old lady backers was perfect, sending herself up with great aplomb and loving every minute, especially as she acted out her role play sessions with Max – we needed more of the ‘Virgin Milk Maid and the Well-Hung Stableboy’ fantasy!

There were some magical musical moments that were truly memorable:  Leo’s ‘I Want to be a Producer’ was a musical theatre piece de resistance featuring the Chorus Girls and the Accountants – displaying amazing choreography and talent. Franz, Max and Leo’s, ‘Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop’ – hilariously funny. ‘Springtime for Hitler’ was a showstopper, with an incredible solo from The Storm Trooper, Roger Inigo and ‘Prisoners of Love’, the Broadway number set in the jail featuring Max, Leo, Franz, Ulla, Roger, the Prisoners and Convicts. The star turn of the night had to be Daniel Cox as Max, retelling the story of the whole show summarised in the song, ‘Betrayed’ – it was an utter showstopper with Daniel giving absolutely everything to the performance, an amazing feat and a pleasure to watch.

The technical demands of the show were great but the challenge was met by Dave Pittam and Going Dark Theatrical Services Lighting and Daniel Woodall and DW Technical Services Sound.

The Sets were truly impressive, although at times, through the sheer demands of the amount of set that needed to be struck and set, they did slightly impede the flow of the action but the sheer brilliance of the performances that ensued meant that the interruption was soon forgotten, that aside what Stage Manager, Steve Percy and his team achieved was remarkable.

The icing on the cake were the amazing costumes from Leo’s Theatrical Costumiers and the Society, all brought together by Costume Mistress, Rebecca Bate.

What else can you say but a huge thank you to everyone at TFO for an amazing evening, your kind hospitality and warm welcome were very gratefully received.

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