REVIEW: Liverpool Empire Theatre Presents: The Producers

The musical production of Mel Brooks'1968 award winning movie The Producers reached the stage of the Liverpool Empire last night. A jam packed theatre awaited the show on Monday evening which marked its opening and press night. The hilarious musical comedy which ensued had an extremely strong cast who seemed to enjoy every second of the show. The show has proved a hit on Broadway and the West End and has amassed a massive 12 Tony awards and 3 Olivier awards.

The story line is that New York producer Max Bialystock recruits timid accountant Leo Bloom to pull off a colossal scam. Their aim to produce the worst show ever and to flee the country with millions of dollars goes pear-shaped and ends up being a hit rather than the flop they had hoped for. "Springtime for Hitler" plays before the audience's very eyes and what follows is a priceless mix of hilarity and cringing in equal measure.

Directed by Matthew White and starring stand up comedians Jason Manford , Ross Noble and award winning actors Cory English and David Bedella, the show got off to a flying start.

With excellent choreography from the outset and impressive set changes which took place with seamless precision, the show is a feast for the eyes and ears. In true Mel Brooks style it is crude, politically incorrect, and has overt sexual references running through the thread of the musical. Leave your inhibitions at the door and prepare to laugh oftentimes guiltily at the quick-fire humour which is served up magnanimously.

Jason Manford was fantastic throughout and from the minute he stepped on stage in his role as accountant Leo Bloom, he captivated the audience. With his convincing American accent with not a hint of a Salford twang, you could not but help but be drawn to the naive, diffident character that he portrayed. His vocal ability was extremely impressive as his singing of the many numbers were executed like a seasoned professional. The scene where he attempts to win the affection of the girl is exceptional. Ulla played by Tiffany Graves interacts beautifully with Manford and his dance moves are not too shabby either.

Corey English who plays Max Bialystock is excellent throughout. I particularly liked his re-enactment of events as he sat in prison deep in introspection as he recalled the sequence of events that lead to his unfortunate plight.

Ross Noble delivers his role of Franz Liebkind with gusto and David Bedella who plays the worst director in town Roger De Bris is excellent.

It's camp, it's offensive and tongue in cheek. It is  unnerving and terribly bad taste but it captures your attention and I defy you not to leave the theatre feeling like you have completed an abdominal workout at the gym after all the laughing that you will do during the 2hour and 30 minute performance.

At the finale, Jason Manford took a moment to thank the audience, saying that Liverpool was the best audience thus far. On the face of it skeptics may construe the statement a little trite but he genuinely seemed to mean it. The audience lapped it up and responded with a standing ovation which was a fair acknowledgement and show of appreciation for the performance that had been delivered by the stunning cast. The band were incredible and even the conductor had an integral part to play in the performance which was extremely amusing.

The show runs until Saturday 6th June and tickets are available for purchase here