Reviews

The Producers Festival Theatre

Of the many shows which I have had the privilege of attending over the years, there are some that you go along to in the hope that it will be a good night out, and there are others on which you place the weight of your expectations. Sometimes they live up to them and sometimes, well, with the best will in the world, they don’t.

I have for as long as I can remember been a huge fan of Mel Brooks’ films – you always know that they are going to be a hoot from the minute you hit play on the DVD. So when the chance came up to go and review this show, I jumped at it – and this is one show that definitely did not disappoint! A great script and a great cast make for a great night out!

They say that timing is everything when doing live shows – and this was the case with this one. Cory English (who plays Max Bialystock) and Jason Manford (who plays Leo Bloom) get all of their timings down to a T!

The comical genius from Phill Jupitus (who plays Franz Liebkind) is something else – he really did have his character nailed to perfection! And when you put all three of these guys together in the one scene – my, what a hoot!

And one more added point whilst it’s fresh in my mind – when performers step outside their “day job” sometimes this can lead to a drop in quality. Singers attempting to act, actors and comedians trying to sing – it often puts me off when they do that! But Jason Manford – whoa! What a voice he has – and he’s singing in tune as well which is an added bonus! He certainly has the X Factor!

So all in all then, this is a really entertaining show – and very, very funny! Highly recommend that you go and see it- it runs until Saturday 28th March at The Festival Theatre.

In the meantime – I’m now off to be a producer on Broadway…

Jamie Wells