Review: THE PRODUCERS, at the Fox Performing Arts Center, in Riverside, is Rollicking Fun

The national tour of THE PRODUCERS, the Mel Brooks musical farce, breezed into Riverside's Fox Performing Arts Center (Fox PAC) for two performances on Valentine's Day. The hilarious production is a worthy successor to its predecessors, the 1968 film, starring the late Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, and the Tony-award winning musical, which originally starred Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and which ran from 2001 to 2007.

Politically correct, it's not - outrageous is a better description. But that is the whole point. Max Bialystock (David Johnson), a Broadway producer in 1959, has had a string of flops. When a brilliant but immature (to say the least) accountant, Leopold Bloom (Richard LaFleur) - who knew that Mel Brooks channels ULYSSES? - audits Max's books, and remarks that no one really pays attention to the balance sheets of a flop, a scheme is born. Max and Leo set out to produce the worst musical possible, and to oversell shares. The show will close after opening night and Max and Leo will abscond with the dough. How can they guarantee a flop? For one thing, pick a script by a Nazi lunatic (Thomas Slater), choreograph numbers with dancers dressed like uniformed sex fiends in Rockette-like, swastika-shaped formations, and name the show "Springtime for Hitler." A guaranteed flop, indeed ... well, maybe not.

This production uses Susan Stroman's Broadway direction and choreography, brilliantly recreated by Nigel West and Lauren Kadel, respectively. The top-notch scenic design by Kacie Hultgren, and the breathtaking costumes by Kenneth Burrell, Robert Fletcher, Vincent Scassellati, and the Kansas City Costume Company, are new.

The show is filled with biting satire, with many groups in Mel Brooks' cross-hairs, from sex-starved senior citizens to drag queens. I doubt that too many people will find the barbs offensive, with two notable exceptions: The idea of using Nazis in general, and Hitler in particular, to evoke laughter, may rub people the wrong way. As the Nazi humor started flying towards the middle of Act I, I noticed an unusual number of people hurrying up the aisle to visit the restroom or bar. I suspect that they were, indeed, uncomfortable.

Also, the drag-queen stereotypes are brutal, and I would not be surprised to find that they offend some gay men. Roger De Bris' (John B. Boss) "common law assistant," Carmen Ghia (J Ryan Carroll), still minces around the stage and uses the exaggerated speech patterns that his predecessor did in 1968, when it was considered acceptable to make fun of gay people. On the other hand, there is a subtle change between the 1968 film and the musical: The anachronistic song and dance number "Keep it Gay" - the term was not in use in 1959 to describe people attracted to the same sex - and a few comments by Max make clear that Max does not look down on gay people and that he is perfectly happy to accept their theatrical recommendations.

The charismatic David Johnson, who reminds me of Nathan Lane, has a natural gift for comedy. His performance as Max is superb. Lest anyone doubt that this is a show about the irony of Jewish producers setting out to do a musical about Nazis, the Jewish content is palpable. Act One has klezmer music, a hora danced around Max, and a sly reference to FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, with a violinist sitting atop a trash can. Brooks hits the audience over the head with references to Max's undoubtedly made-up relationship with Boris Thomashevsky, the great actor in Yiddish theatre and with having Max tell a politically incorrect "Jewish American princess" joke (probably another anachronism). Whether or not Mr. Johnson is Jewish, he succeeds in making Max convincing as a Jewish man from New York, without resorting to stereotypes. His performance is hilarious, and well worth the ticket price.

By and large, the other performances are excellent, too, although I disagree with the decisions to have Leo Bloom and Swedish sex goddess Ulla (Jessica Ernest) behave in such exaggerated ways. Leo is supposed to be an eccentric young man at the beginning of the show, but, like Carmen Ghia, he and Ulla are so over-the-top that they are almost embarrassing to watch.

The laughs fly in this production, both from witty one-liners and hilarious song-and-dance routines, such as "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop," "Keep it Gay," the Act I finale (the famous dance scene with the senior citizen ladies and their walkers - still another anachronism), "Springtime for Hitler," and "Prisoners of Love." Unless someone is likely to be too offended by Mel Brooks' offbeat humor, I highly recommend seeing this production.

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Southern Californians still have the opportunity to see THE PRODUCERS, even though there are no more performances in Riverside. The show will play in Santa Barbara, at the Granada Theatre, from February 16-17, 2016; in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Orpheum Theatre from February 19-21, 2016; and especially happily for Palm Springs area readers, at Palm Desert's McCallum Theatre, from February 26-28, 2016. Other announced cities and dates are available at www.theproducersontour.com/tour/ .

The Fox Performing Arts Center has two more shows in its 2015-16 Broadway season: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, March 12, 2016, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Andrew Lloyd Webber's JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAM COAT, April 10, 2016, at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.riversidelive.com, through Ticketmaster, at the box office, or at 800-745-3000. The Fox PAC is located at 3801 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501, about 120 miles from San Diego, 70 miles from parts of the San Fernando Valley and West LA, 57 miles from Long Beach, 55 miles from Palm Springs, and 45 miles from Anaheim.

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