Review: 'The Producers' at Stage West Dinner Theatre

 “It’s the worst show in town!” 

That’s what the opening night crowd sings in the first scene of Mel Brooks’ hilarious satire on Broadway, The Producers. Happily Stage West’s production is not the worst show in town. If it’s not the best, it still manages to pack in a fair number of laughs punctuated by some tuneful songs.

It’s a broad farce and director Lee MacDougall has it played very broadly. The performers don’t just deliver the jokes, they hammer them home. It really is a case of sometimes more is too much.

Sheldon Davis creates an overblown cartoon performance that perfectly suits the larger than life Max Bialystock. Ian Simpson who takes particular delight in playing up Leo Bloom’s almost childlike innocence essays his co- conspirator here.  

Monique Lund adds some sizzle as the blonde bombshell Ulla who becomes the butt of many of the script’s sexist jokes. There are also bright performances by George Masswohl as the Nazi-loving playwright, John Devorski as the drag queen director and Steve Gallagher as the director’s sibilant assistant.

On the downside the downsizing of the orchestra causes five pieces to try to compensate with volume.  By similarly reducing the dancing corps choreographer Mike Jackson’s staging of the production number “Springtime for Hitler” loses some of its punch. The dancing swastika doesn’t register without the mirrors.

The point could be made that in a penny-pinching move Max has cut back on the chorus members and scenic effects, but if one is going to go small, it has to look really small to emphasize his thriftiness.

The show has been trimmed a bit for length and it is so skillfully done that it wasn’t until I got home and checked my original cast CD that I noticed one entire song had been eliminated.

What hasn’t been eliminated is the burlesque-style humour that carries much of the show.  Some of the jokes are positive groaners yet somehow in the hands of these talented performers the comedy wins out.   

The Producers continues at Stage West Dinner Theatre until July 5. Performances are Thursday through Sundays evenings, with matinees on Wednesdays and Sundays. For tickets call the box office at (905) 238-0042.

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