By Guest Blogger, Amanda Curry
Amanda is the Marketing Manager of Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington.
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| The Producers, Full Cast – Act I Finale |
There’s no disputing it: Mel Brooks is a satirical genius,
and New Candlelight’s current production of The Producers, running now through
March 17, does him proud. That is to say, deliciously offends with ribaldry, wit, and
ridiculousness — the perfect combo for an evening at the theatre (Not to mention,
dinner is served… By the actors, nonetheless).
For those not familiar with the play, (“Because you’ve been
living under a rock,” is really the only acceptable explanation here) The
Producers, set in 1959, centers on the unlikely pair of larger-than-life,
washed-up Broadway producer, Max Bialystock and his sweet, naïve, and neurotic
new accountant, Leo Bloom. Driven
by his desire to become a Broadway producer and cajoled by the dominating
Bialystock, Bloom and his partner develop a scheme to find and produce the
worst play ever, in an effort to financially benefit from the flop. In comes a
hilarious cast of characters to produce Springtime for Hitler, written by
escaped Nazi Franz Liebkind, directed by flamboyantly fabulous Roger DeBris and
starring Bialystock and Bloom’s new office assistant and Swedish stunner, Ulla
(fifteen-syllable-last-name).
Needless to say, hilarity ensues.
While New Candlelight is not a large stage space, special
recognition goes to Scenic Designer Jeff Reim for the inventive use of flats (and
screens while scene changes were happening on stage). Stellar choreography by Peter John Rios added to the
fun of the 23 musical numbers, many of them driven by the tight
ensemble who seamlessly play an absurd amount of roles. The number “Along Came Bialy” transports
audiences to ‘Little Old Lady Land’ and was delightfully staged, complete with
cross-dressed old ladies doing the smartly staged ‘walker
dance.’
The true stand-outs of the evening were Anthony Connell as the
neurotically endearing Leo Bloom, with a Broadway quality voice and brilliant
comic timing, complemented well by the Nathan Lane-esque performance of David
Wills as Max Bialystock. The two
have hilarious chemistry and are a joy to watch on stage.
Jeffrey Lanigan as Franz Leibkind, the Nazi playwright,
brought perhaps the biggest laughs of the evening with his rendition of “Der
Guten Tag Hap Clop.” Backed up by
his beloved pigeons (puppets that come to life in pivotal moments, most notably
to offer a winged ‘hiel’ at the end of “In Old Bavaria,”) Lanigan’s rich
operatic voice and comedic chops made him an audience favorite.
Typically poised to steal the show is the character of
Carmen Ghia, Roger Debris’ flamingly gay ‘Common-Law Assistant’, played by a
somewhat restrained and difficult to hear Timothy Lamont Cannon. The notable moments in which Carmen
delivers an impossibly long final “Sssssssss” (playing off stereotypes, as
Brooks’ does at every turn), was not as outlandish in this version. Thankfully Roger DeBris’ design team
gathered back the scenes’ momentum with their ridiculous entrances including, of
course, sock-wielding Brian the choreographer, who garnered non-stop laughs. The character of Ulla (Lindsay Mauck), while played with charming enthusiasm, seemed to read as more of
a caricature even in scenes that required a softness and romanticism between
her character and Leo. That said,
the bawdy nature of her character brings a great deal of consistent laughs.
See http://nctstage.org.
