The Producers

The Zodiac Theatre Group were back on stage with their production of Mel Brooks’ musical, ‘The Producers’, which was directed by Neil Silcock. Upon entering the auditorium, the audience were met with an open set, with a projected backdrop. The projections helped to transport the audience, and were a huge asset to this production. Trucks and other furniture were brought on to establish location, such as Bialystock’s office door and office furniture. The scene changes were done effectively, maintaining the pace of the production. Neil injected humour throughout, with the audience barely having time to breathe before being hit by the next joke or physical comedy moment. There were little moments throughout that just tickled the funny bone. From the lingering hand of Carmen as he was sent away to the stenographer in court who was typing as Leo was singing ‘Til Him’. These small things just pushed the comedy of the production. The characters were well-drawn out and pushed to their comic limit. This was a production that went full throttle on the comedy, and with Neil at the helm, this was a sure fire success. The costumes were great throughout. The production had everything from nun’s habits and lederhosen, to the over-the-top costumes in ‘Springtime for Hitler’. They were a visual delight.

Craig Price was the musical director for this production. The band was in fine form throughout, and Craig led them well. The band was sympathetic to the performers on stage, and they covered the scene changes well. The vocals from the cast were strong, and the ensemble numbers were pleasing.

Stuart Maher was the choreographer for this production, marking his first time choreographing a musical. The choreography was exciting throughout and performed well by the cast. The choreography from Stuart also added to the comedy of the production in some numbers.

Technical elements were very good throughout. The sound balance between the cast and band was very good, with both being at the right level. The lighting design was good throughout, with a good use of colours used. There were a few moments were cast weren’t lit, but this was more the cast not hitting their marks. The projected backdrops, sourced from Rick Frendt Theatre Projections, were a visual delight and worked extremely well for the production, transporting the audience to the different locations.

Gareth Earl was excellent as Max Bialystock. He had a great stage presence, and possesses funny bones. He was quick witted and had a great physicality for the role. Gareth’s vocals were strong, with a highlight being his rendition of ‘Betrayed’. He created a great double act with Jack, and they bounced off each other well.

Equalling Gareth’s performance was Jack Parry as Leo Bloom. Jack was able to get across the awkwardness of the character straight away, through his voice and mannerisms. Jack’s vocals were great, with ‘I Wanna Be a Producer’ being a standout number. He created a believable relationship with Chloe as Ulla.

Chloe Pennington put in a great performance as Ulla. Chloe was able to show off her vocals and tricks during ‘When You’ve Got It Flaunt It’, which were impressive. The reactions of both Gareth and Jack in this number were second to none. Chloe’s exaggerated Swedish accent just added greatly to the humour.

Ben Greenall played Franz. Ben was outrageously camp in this role, and had the audience in the palm of his hand. There were moments of pure comedy gold in his performance. Ben sustained the accent throughout, delivering his lines with clarity and precision. His vocals were very good, leading his numbers well.

Michael Shneck played Roger Debris. Michael was suitably over-the-top and commanded attention from his initial entrance. His performance as Hitler in ‘Springtime for Hitler’ was suitably ridiculous and hilarious. This was a pleasing performance from Michael.

Kyle Hickman played Carmen Ghia. This was a good performance from Kyle, and he created a believable character. Kyle showed a great sense of comedy through his line delivery and his reactions. The relationship developed with Michael was believable.

Valarie Ball threw herself into the role of Hold-me, Touch-Me. This was a delightful cameo role from Valarie, as one of Max’s elderly funders. Valarie displayed great comic timing throughout, especially her appearance in ‘That Face’ when she appeared from behind the sofa.

The ensemble was kept busy throughout the production, from Roger’s entourage of collaborators to the Little Old Ladies. Every member of the ensemble added to the humour throughout. ‘Along Came Bialy’ was a great ending to the first act, with an impressive routine using Zimmer frames. ‘Springtime for Hitler’ was a riot from start to finish and ramped up the humour. It was ridiculously camp and over-the-top.

Overall, this was a great production. There were strong principal performances, the comedy was non-stop, and the ensemble numbers were very good, especially ‘Springtime for Hitler’.

A big thank you to everyone at Zodiac Theatre Group for their kind invite.

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