“The Producers” The Story

“The Producers” is a musical comedy adapted from Mel Brooks’s 1967 film of the same name. The original Broadway production premiered on April 19, 2001, featuring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. It had a successful run of 2,502 performances and won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards.

Max Bialystock, played by Ryan Kelly, is a scheming producer who was once quite popular and now finds his fortunes fading. Bialystock finds himself teamed up with a dedicated but reserved accountant, Leo Bloom, played by Ryan Costello, who has discovered discrepancies in Bialystock’s financial records from his last show. However, these two hit it off and devised a plan to earn money and alter the course of their lives.

The plan in a nutshell is to produce a play that has no chance of being successful. This way, they can redirect and hide the investor’s money. That sounds quite simple, but indeed, what would be the drama in that?

So Bialystock and Bloom bring their team together to create this flop of a Broadway play. The first thing is to find a script that has no chance of success. For this, Bialystock and Bloom team with Franz Liebkind, played by Jared Lively, who has written a romantic musical entitled Springtime for Hitler. Bialystock and Bloom believe that there is no way that this play can ever be a success.

Now they bring in a director, Roger De Bris, played by Michael Davanzo,  and hold auditions to find the exact right players who will guarantee a failure. They already have the female lead, Ulla, played by Zoe McCracken. Ulla is hyper sexual, and both Bialystock and Bloom have their sights set on romance with her. This leaves the role of Hitler to be cast, and that proves to be more straightforward than they thought.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the lead for the play is unable to perform, and the director steps in to replace him. This minor change ensures that the play is not what Bialystock and Bloom had intended.

But as many stories go, this is not the end. There is a chance for redemption for all, perhaps?

Here are some photos from “The Producers”

The Performances

The Producers have a large and diverse cast.

The cast of The Producers is exceptionally talented on multiple levels. As a musical, they, of course, have to sing and dance, but they also excel in acting. This cast hits all of those marks. I was taken by how polished the entire cast is; this shows their steadfast dedication to entertaining their audience.

Of course, we have to give a shout-out to Ryan Kelly as Max Bialystock and Ryan Costello as Leo Bloom, who brilliantly play off each other and create quite an interesting buddy dynamic.

Michael Davanzo as Roger De Bris is at his fabulous best in his red shoes and fancy dress.

Zoe McCracken as Ulla plays the role of the sexy vixen to a T.

Jared Lively as Franz Liebkind is entertaining to watch in his role as the Hitler groupie.

Aiden Lyramor as Carmen Ghia (Roger De Bris’ assistant and more) is excellent, playing off of Michael Davanzo’s character wonderfully.

The Setting

Bartley Ranch is an excellent venue, just perfect for an evening of theater. Imagine sitting and watching these outstanding performers entertain you as the sun sets behind you, a slight evening breeze cooling you from the heat of the day. This is one of my favorite settings for theater.

You won’t be sorry spending an entertaining evening in this brilliant setting.

The Bottom line

The Producers is not family-friendly entertainment. Written by Mel Brooks, this work contains a few potentially offensive scenes that may be upsetting to those who are sensitive.

That being said, The Producers is extremely funny, excellently performed, and very professionally produced. I would say not to worry about the potential offensive elements in The Producers; have a wonderful evening in a beautiful setting, enjoying great theater.