Milwaukee recently scored a coup when The Skylight became the first Midwest regional theater to acquire rights to The Producers, the madcap, slapstick comedy by Mel Brooks. (This is pure speculation, but one suspects the decision might have been based on the Skylight's recent musical successes, including last season's miraculous, pre-Broadway run of White Christmas.)
With The Producers, the Skylight scores another bulls-eye. Shadows of Broadway's Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick fade away in the glory of this big-budget production.
For the uninitiated, author Mel Brooks is perhaps superseded only by comedian Don Rickles in his keen ability to skewer just about every possible demographic. In The Producers, this includes Jews to little old ladies, Irish cops, accountants, blonde bimbos, gays and so forth. Plus, Brooks uses his many years of screenwriting talent to take aim at the very industry he is hyping namely, Broadway productions. The musical is based on a 1968 film of the same name, also written by Mel Brooks. A movie based on the musical also was released in 2005.
The show's protagonists are Max, an aging Broadway producer, and a mealy-mouthed accountant name Leo. Max, once known as "the king of Broadway," has had nothing lately but a string of flops. Looking through the show's books in Max's office, Leo offhandedly mentions an improbable notion. He remarks that the IRS isn't interested in taking a close look at a show that lost money. So, he hypothesizes, the more money the show lost, the easier it would be for the producers to pocket the cash. A light bulb practically beams above Max's head. Not only does he immediately see the idea's potential, he wants to make Leo an accomplice. Just find the worst script ever written, he muses, then hire the worst director and cast. When the Broadway show flops, the producers keep the extra cash. Faced with this proposition, the self-effacing Leo demurs, telling Max that he "must be confusing me with someone who has a spine."
In the Skylight production, the key relationship between the producer and the accountant is beautifully balanced by Bill Theisen (as Max) and Brian Vaughn (as Leo). Regular Milwaukee theatergoers who've seen Vaughn play only dramatic roles will be pleasantly surprised to see him perform as a song-and-dance man. Vaughn is a polished hoofer who can tap dance with the best of them (kudos to choreographer Pam Kriger, too). If the audience doesn't immediately fall in love with Leo, all restraint disappears when Vaughn launches into the production number, "I Wanna Be a Producer."
Some of the production's other musical highlights include bombshell Ulla's big number, "When You've Got It, Flaunt It" and the uproarious "Springtime for Hitler," which is also the name of the play's surefire flop. Along the way, the audience is treated to a sequence of over-the-top characters. There's Ray Jivoff, who fully expresses his talent for physical comedy as light-footed Roger DeBris, the gayest of Broadway directors. His secretary, Carmen Ghia, is a show-stealer as played by actor Christopher Klopatek. The author of "Springtime for Hitler," a Nazi-loving German named Franz Liebkind, is hysterically funny as played by Jonathan West.
Finally, Molly Rhode makes a show stopping appearance as Ulla, a sexy blonde Swede. In fact, Ulla must be so gorgeous that even Max Bialystock is dumbstruck by her appearance. "Wawa-wawa-wowie!" is about all he can blurt out when Ulla coolly strolls into his office. Rhode, a familiar face in Milwaukee theater circles, gets a chance to show her stuff (or "stouff," as Ulla would say) in all areas: acting, comic timing, singing and dancing. She scores 100 percent across the board.
Overall, the Skylight production also benefits from exquisite costumes, spot-on lighting (including various theater marquees), the required special effects (including Liebkind's "trained" pigeons) and an impressive orchestra (under the direction of James Valcq). The theater itself, one of the most gorgeous in town, is an appropriate setting for this jewel of a show. The Producers certainly earned its record-breaking number of Tony awards, and this production could earn a dozen more.
L-R: Brian Vaugh, Ray Jivoff, Bill Theisen
