Last night I had the pleasure of attending a performance of one of my favorute Broadway shows, “The Producers,” at the Hollywood Bowl.
Let’s start with just a review of the Bowl itself. The venue is gorgeous, plunked down on the side of a hill, surrounded by mountains and with the Hollywood sign off in the distance. The tickets are reasonably priced for the locale, running from cushy seats down in front to box seats with tables for dining to wooden benches in the back, which is where I found myself. Unfortunately the bench seats are far enough away that you can’t identify actors on stage, and while the screens certainly help, the experience is just not the same. New self-imposed rule: for shows (as opposed to concerts), stay away from the cheap seats.
Another note for next time is BRING YOUR OWN FOOD! Or at the very least your own drinks. I got a bahn mi ($9.50) and lemonade ($3.75) and almost instantly regretted it. I had a bottle I had meant to bring with me but (of course) forgot at home, that’s what I’m most upset by, though the sandwich was a disappointment too. Once the carrot scrapings and bits of pickled goodness were gone, which happened rather quickly, you were left with a chicken and mayonnaise sandwich. eew. Why bother spending that much money when you can bring pretty much anything - including alcohol - from home? People line the walkways with picnic baskets, bottles and tupperware alike, and always seem to enjoy themselves just as much (if not more) than the poor saps waiting in line for overpriced, under-seasoned food.
Enough of that. On to the show!
Having grown faithful to the Nathan Lane / Matthew Broderick take on The Producers I was apprehensive seeing this new duo, Richard Kind and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Thankfully, neither disappointed. While Kind was less exuberant in his take on Bialystock the character suited him well. His performance was met with applause and few people cared, if noticed, his flubbed lines. Having never heard Ferguson sing before I was surprised at his vocal skill, and as far as acting, well… he definitely studied from Broderick’s School of How To Look Hysterical By Making Weird Mouth Shapes and graduated with full honors. While he did not necessarily put his own spin on the character as Kind did (intentional or not), he did justice to Leo Bloom and held his own against reprising cast members.
SPEAKING OF WHICH! Had I known that Gary Beach and Roger Bart were coming back as Roger Elizabeth Debris and Carmen Ghia I absolutely would have sprung for closer seats. That’s what I get for not doing my research. As expected they stole the show and completely commanded the stage whenever they were present. I can’t say enough about how well these two own their roles and, from a stage in New York to a feature film to the Hollywood Bowl, it’s hard to imagine anyone taking their places.
Say what you will about Dane Cook (and yes, lately there has been a lot to say) but when the man gets on stage he is fearless, and it really shone through in his performance as Franz Liebkind. He delivered every line like it could be his last and was a surprising highlight. Rebecca Romijn as Ulla, on the other hand, was a disappointment. It’s unclear if the horrible accent hindered her singing or her attempts to sing made her accent worse, but either way she didn’t add anything but that marvelous face to the show. She gets an A for effort though, clearly she was trying her damnedest to play the part, but Ulla proved too demanding of a role.
Due to the curfew enforced at the Hollywood Bowl, three songs were cut completely, all in the second act (It’s Bad Luck to Say Good Luck, Where Did We Go Right and Betrayed). The pacing was solid enough that the editing choices were hardly noticeable. I was, however, very disappointed that Max’s verses of “‘Til Him” were removed, as I think it adds a lot to his character and creates more of an arc for him.
Gorgeous costumes, respectable set design and smooth choreography brought it all together. All in all it was a wonderful night, topped off by a cameo by Mel Brooks himself. The audience was elated by his appearance in “Springtime for Hitler” and anyone not yet on their feet by the end leapt up as he came out for a curtain call, to thank the audience and proclaim this one of the most exciting nights of his life.
He ended with a hesitant yet hopeful suggestion: “Next year maybe Young Frankenstein?”