Mel Brooks’ The Producers has landed in the West End with a riotous bang, transferring from the Menier Chocolate Factory to the Garrick Theatre with all its irreverent charm and comic brilliance gloriously intact. Under Patrick Marber’s slick direction, this revival proves itself not only a love letter to musical theatre but a masterclass in how to make an audience laugh until it hurts.
Based on Brooks’ 1967 film, The Producers follows washed-up Broadway impresario Max Bialystock and timid accountant Leo Bloom as they hatch a scheme to produce the worst musical ever written, pocket the investors’ money, and flee to Rio. Their plan? A Nazi-themed musical titled Springtime for Hitler. What could possibly go right?
Andy Nyman and Marc Antolin reprise their roles as Max and Leo, and their chemistry is even sharper in this larger space. Nyman’s Bialystock is gloriously brash, while Antolin’s Bloom is a jittery delight, his physical comedy perfectly timed. Together, they are a double act for the ages.
Trevor Ashley is a revelation as Roger DeBris, the flamboyant director roped into staging the doomed show. Every entrance is a showstopper, every line a punchline. Raj Ghatak’s Carmen Ghia is equally scene-stealing, while Harry Morrison’s Franz Liebkind brings a manic energy that’s impossible to resist.
Joanna Woodward dazzles as Ulla, the Swedish secretary with Broadway dreams. Her performance is both vocally impressive and comedically astute, cementing her as a true standout in a cast brimming with talent.
Lorin Latarro’s choreography is a joyous homage to classic Broadway, while Scott Pask’s set design cleverly expands the Menier’s intimacy into the Garrick’s grander scale without losing any of the original’s charm. The production is peppered with theatrical in-jokes, but it never alienates. Even casual theatregoers will find themselves swept up in the sheer absurdity of it all.
A gloriously unhinged celebration of musical theatre at its most madcap, The Producers is back and it’s never been better. Outrageous, audacious and utterly unmissable, this West End revival is a triumph of impeccable casting, razor-sharp direction and a laugh-a-minute script. Don’t miss your chance to see this comedy classic reborn in all its deliciously inappropriate brilliance.
