The Producers

A visit to the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock is always memorable least of all for the excellent new theatre housed there.   

The choice of this Broadway show was well within the Club’s compass and the leading roles were ably performed by Chris Gavin as the down and out producer Max Bialystock and Keegan Friel as the equally unsuccessful accountant Leopold Bloom. Glamour was provided amply by Lynette Beaton as the temptress and aspiring actress cum office decorator and the trio launch into the raunchy number When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It.  

The whole purpose of the musical is to stage the worst (and loss-making) production ever and to assist in that aim, the gauche former nazi Franz Liebkind and the worst reputed and gay producer Roger de Bris are located, the former being played rather convincingly by Elliot McKelvie and the latter by Graham Campbell. Jordan Benacci played an excellent foil to Roger as his assistant. Springtime for Hitler is signed up as the hopefully loss-making show and to aid its failure, Franz is contracted to play Hitler. Cash for the show is obtained by Max from “lots of little old ladies out there” and they duly appear with their zimmer frames in a hilarious number.

This was a most enjoyable production and staged by a Company that is not all that large in numbers. Although the principal cast number only half a dozen, the show requires a troupe of Showgirls and an ensemble to act as such and assume other minor roles. This was achieved with apparent ease with clever production and in the musical numbers demonstrating that it was the right show for the Company this season. Thinking ahead, the Club has chosen “Sister Act” for their November production and I look forward to that show with considerable interest.        

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