"The Producers"

August 8, 2017 — I had decided not to make a reservation for "The Producers," a musical version of the 1968 movie. I thought no one could possibly do it as well as Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel in the original. But I was wrong. Getting bored during a quiet week, I decided to give it a chance, and made a reservation at the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. It was the right decision. The Players, with their usual high production values, great stagecraft, superb direction and some of the most talented actors in New England summer theater, put on what I may well remember as the best show of this summer season.

Mel Brooks directed and wrote the screenplay for the movie. It won the 1968 Oscar for best screenplay. Years later, he wrote the music and lyrics for the stage version which is the one presented by the Peterborough Players. It has all of Brooks' non-stop hilarity and frenetic pace.

Kraig Swartz, a fine comic actor, is washed-up producer Max Bialystock who hasn't had a hit in years. Tom Frey is his accountant, Leo Bloom, whose dream is to be a producer himself. In going over Max's books, Bloom observes producing a flop could be a surefire way to make money by closing after one performance and keeping the millions collected from backers. This casual observation sets Max and Bloom off on a mission to deliberately produce a play guaranteed to fail. How about "Springtime for Hitler," a musical glorifying the Fuhrer?

Gus Kaikkonen and Bill Burns recreated for the Players the original effort by Susan Stroman. Michael Sebastian was the music director. Charles Morgan designed the elaborate, multi-layered scenery. The many excellent costumes for the large cast were the work of Sam Fleming.

Of course, Max and Bloom's plan backfires when the unlikely play, seen as ridiculing rather than immortalizing Hitler, is a smash hit. Swartz, always great in comedy parts, gets to exercise his song and dance chops, as does Tom Frey, who is surprisingly good in the same type of role. Elyse Collier almost steals the show as the unintentionally sexy Ulla. Leon Axt is hilarious as Franz Liebkind, the Hitler-worshipping Nazi throwback who wrote the heretofore never produced "Springtime for Hitler." They finally find a director in the flamboyant, gay Roger DeBris (Danny Vaccaro). DeBris' assistant, Carmen Ghia (Adam Sowers), is even funnier. DeBris ends up playing a preening, effeminate Hitler himself when Liebkind, intended for the role, breaks his leg.

The entire cast, too numerous to mention here, is excellent. The song and dance numbers rocked the theater. The play drew a nearly full house on a Tuesday afternoon.