The Producers hit Windsor

I went to see The Producers on its opening night on Monday 25th at the Theatre Royal in Windsor. The Producers is written by a talented Hollywood film maker, Mel Brookes. The Producers was his first major motion picture in 1968 that earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Years later, he turned The Producers into a Broadway production.

The story is about a Broadway producer Max Bialystock who enlists the help of his accountant Leo Bloom to make a flop Broadway show in which they could make a profit from. All they have to do is find a worst script ever written and the worst director. However, the play turns out to be a hit much to the bemusement of the producers. Filled with humour and upbeat interaction between characters, it is one of the best productions I have seen. However, I had a few gripes. The stage is too small to accommodate an entire cast and often we would see a member of the chorus at the end of the line, trying to squeeze in. Also, the chorus appeared to dance without synchronising their dance steps. The chorus dancing needed to be polished, which otherwise looked amateurish at times.

I have to laud Matthew Filmore and Andy Sonden for their brilliant enactment of the Producers. Both actors gelled well together in their characters. The three characters that were the favourites with the audience on the opening night were Ulla Inga Hansen Benson, played by Adele Johnson, Roger de Bris played by Paul Sheppard and Franz Liebkind, played by Paul Freeman. All three of them were brilliantly funny!

It is definitely worth watching!