Hit lives up to hype

No one who follows theater in New York is likely to forget the flurry of excitement and rave reviews that greeted The Producers, the stage-musical version of Mel Brooks’ classic 1968 film.

When a show wins as much praise and as many awards as The Producers, one has a tendency to be skeptical. Can it live up to the hype? Will the road show be as good?

Well, have no fear; this one is all that and more.

The Producers, a musical with book, lyrics and music by Brooks (Thomas Meehan was coauthor of the book) and directed by Susan Stroman, opened to wildly ecstatic reviews in New York and became the only show in Broadway history to win 12 Tony Awards.

Now at the Merriam Theater, the production features Max Bialystock (Bob Amaral), a bumbling but overbearing and manipulative Broadway scam artist, and his anxiety-ridden accountant Leo Bloom (Andy Taylor), who conceive a plot to make millions by overselling shares in a Broadway show that’s sure to be a flop.

But the plot goes awry when the play they’ve chosen to produce, Springtime for Hitler, by a reclusive Nazi named Franz Liebkind, is received by audiences as a spoof and becomes an enormous hit.

The Producers is set in the 1950s, and Mel Brooks embraces Borscht Belt gags, the glory days of the casting couch and showgirls who stretch a tape measure in all the right places.

On a material level, the show is as good as ever. With the lead roles in capable hands, the play is a transcendent comic experience, an experience unlike most others. What’s on display at the Merriam is — in quantity and quality — amazingly close to the Broadway original.

Stroman has imbued the show with countless directorial touches that tap right into the Brooksian wit. Her dance scenes never stop making us gasp at her originality and resourcefulness. As Brooks wrote The Producers as an ode to Broadway and movie musicals’ glory days of glitz and glamour, Stroman has visually invigorated that ode throughout.

Our super politically correct times have given comic assaults a sharp satirical edge. In The Producers, no one escapes — Nazis, homosexuals, horny little old ladies, Irish cops and CPAs, to name a few.

Turning a serious subject, Nazism, into a silly romp still shocks a little, but almost instantly gives way to recognizing the method behind the madness. After all, who better to ridicule Hitler and the Nazis than two hilariously inept Jewish producers like Bialystock and Bloom? The vehicle to speed them toward the road to riches is a wacky Nazi playwright’s tribute to Hitler that has them singing, "Oh, we knew we couldn’t lose when half the audience were Jews!" But lose they do, since the sure loser flip-flops into a hit.

Dialogue from the film has entered the vernacular, particularly among the entertainment community: "When you’ve got it, flaunt it," "Money is honey" and the now-familiar term "creative accounting."

There are a lot of big, beautiful Broadway spectacular numbers (I Wanna be a Producer, Springtime for Hitler) and plenty of mindless dialogue to keep the audience laughing and enjoying themselves. Stroman keeps the production fast-paced and trim, and the costumes (William Ivey Long) and set design (Robin Wagner) are delicious.

A slight, frantic air prevails throughout the show — typical of Brooks. Those familiar with the movie version should especially relish it. For the rest of the world, the best way to enjoy this production is to fully embrace the one-dimensional characters and not look for the deeper meaning of life.

In adapting the show to Broadway, Brooks has ripened the role of Ulla, Max’s sexy secretary, and cleverly made her Leo’s love interest. He also has solved the movie’s meandering third act, when Max, Leo and Franz blow up the theater where Springtime for Hitler is playing. And he’s given the story a happier ending. This is, after all, a show of the oldest, brightest stripe; your heroes are not allowed end up in jail — they must emerge triumphant.

Simply put, Amaral is no Nathan Lane but he gets the job done in a vocally demanding role. Taylor is good on his feet and has a serviceable singing voice. They get a big push with star-turn performances by Bill Nolte as Franz, Stuart Marland as the drag queen Roger De Bris, David Edwards as the intimidating Mr. Marks and the darling Ida Leigh Curtis as the bombshell Ulla.

With its mind-boggling array of sets, dazzlingly inventive dance numbers and costumes and witty songs, The Producers, no matter who dons the Bialystock and Bloom hats, is an indestructible piece of entertainment. Go see it!

The Producers
Through Feb. 8
Merriam Theater
250 S. Broad St.
Tickets: $81.25, $66.25, $43.25
215-336-1234
www.ticketmaster.com