The film's absurd core vignette--the infamous "Springtime for Hitler"--if anything gains a few notches in hilarity when framed by a character-rich musical that comes off as both parody and valentine in its mimicry of Broadway's "golden age." Brooks (with the help of idiomatically expert arrangements by Glen Kelly) has cooked up a variety of numbers constituting a virtual primer of old-fashioned American musical comedy styles (there's even a toying with Cabaret-style decadence), but they're always coated with an extra layer of zaniness. In fact, the whole show becomes a Chinese box of parodies within parodies. But what really gets the whole mix working is a surefire cast headed by Nathan Lane playing Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick doing a delightfully nebbish turn with delusions of misplaced glory as his sidekick, Leo Bloom.

From his first big number (musically winking at Fiddler on the Roof), Lane hungrily lays claim to the role, undaunted by his formidable predecessor, Zero Mostel. Even on disc, you can visualize his over-the-top mugging as a dethroned "king of Broadway" who was "the first producer ever to do summer stock in the winter." Comedy, as they say, is all about timing, and that's exactly what Lane gets right. His interactions with Bloom, Franz Liebkind (Brad Oscar), and Roger de Bris (Gary Beach) are priceless, even when only in sound. As for the tunes, Brooks crafts a number of truly memorable ones--don't be surprised to find yourself horrified as you hum along with "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop" and, of course, "Springtime for Hitler." --Thomas May

When the overture begins and the first strains of "Springtime for Hitler" are heard, you know you are in for an engaging, disarming event. Nathan Lane's mugging, particularly in his "Fiddler on the Roof" takeoff as "The King of Broadway" comes shining through. "West Side Story," "The Pajama Game," "Cabaret," and other Broadway classics are spoofed in beguiling musical parodies.

If you don't see the actual production on stage you may miss the sex-starved old ladies dancing desperately with their walkers or the sight gags and the cameo appearance of Stormtrooper Mel Himself, but this CD is worth every penny for its high energy performances captured for everyone to enjoy. And as a special bonus, the gloriously nutty repartee within the songs has been recorded so the listener gets the full flow of the story.


Back to the Future with Uncle Mel   April 29, 2001
Kenneth Kane (Portland, OR United States)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

My wife and I were lucky enough to see the show in previews on Broadway and we haven't stopped laughing yet. The CD contains music which SOUNDS like tunes you've heard before -- even a casual listening will prompt you to think of Gypsy, Bye Bye Birdie, A Funny Thing Happened . . ., How To Succeed . . ., Fiddler on the Roof and at least a half-dozen other shows. It's as if someone dug this recording out of a circa 1950 time capsule.

This isn't meant to say the show is merely derivative. In fact, I consider the broadly familiar sound a strong positive factor. So is the madcap humor and pacing, both of the songs and the production as a whole.

Indeed, one of the show-stoppers on this cast recording is "The King of Old Broadway" and that's what this entire show is: a fabulous throwback to the old Broadway of classic American musical comedy of the mid-20th century. Three minutes into this CD you'll know you're NOT listening to a Disney show nor one composed by a Brit with three names.

Mel Brooks' tunes are catchy and singable and his lyrics are Noel Coward-sharp. (Just see if you can get these ditties out of your head!) The CD comes with a nice extra: extensive liner notes which include the complete lyrics and spoken interludes of every song.

The songs on the recording are well-played by an enthusiastic orchestra -- Glen Kelly's fine arrangements and orchestrations flesh out Mel's tunes. The singing is uniformly good, an occasional flat note not withstanding, and the interpreations are inspired. When Max/Nathan Lane tells Leo/Matthew Broderick near the end of the show, "I never realized you're a good singer" it's more than a line of dialogue. It's actually true.

If you're lucky enough to see the show, the CD is the ultimate souvenir. If you haven't seen it, the CD will more than tide you over until you do. And if "The Producers" inspires a renewal of the American musical comedy genre in the next few years (let's face it, success breeds imitation), then we all have Mel Brooks and company to thank or, to parody one of his own songs from the show:

Broadway going nowhere in a hurry . . . 'til him.

Bland and spiceless, never ever curry . . . 'til him.

Mel's schtick changed the Great White Way.

It's no longer prim.

Oi vay, let's hope there's at least another one . . . like him.


Hysterical !   June 11, 2005
AJK (Chicago, IL)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I was fortunate enough to see "The Producers" with Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick shortly after it's premiere. The show was absolutely hysterical, with a really strong score. Nothing against Mr. Broderick, but Mr. Lane's part is larger & has the best songs. He totally deserved the Tony for Best Actor that year.

Musically, the production contains more songs than a typical score, with strong voices and orchestrations. Best tracks include:

The King Of Broadway
I Wanna Be A Producer
Keep It Gay
When You Got It, Flaunt It
Along Came Bialy
Springtime For Hitler
Betrayed [Lane's "tour de force" recap of the show]

While I wouldn't call this the best show to grace the stage (though it won the most Tonys ever & NY critics tripped over themselves in praise), it is fantastic & came at a time when the Great White Way was taking itself way too seriously. Also, it was too bad that "The Full Monty" did not share in the victories of that season. Timing is everything!

Nonetheless, one of the best scores ever!



Mel Brooks is a god, and I love him for it!   June 11, 2001
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Even though I've never seen the 1969 movie (I'm still desperately combing through the video stores in town), The Producers is clearly a Mel Brooks creation from beginning to end. I've grown up on his movies, and when I heard that he created a MUSICAL, I became very excited.

What is there to say that hasn't been said? To quote Where Did We Go Right, "It was shocking, outrageous, insulting...and I loved every minute of it!" Although I know I'll never see it live, having the cast album is enough for me.

I absolutely adore Matthew Broderick (even though he'll always be Ferris Bueller to me), and who knew he had such a great singing voice? Nathan Lane is an absolute genius as Max and definately earned his Tony (sorry Matthew, but Leo just isn't as juicy a role).

The supporting cast is so increadible that I wish all 3 male nominees could have won! Brad Oscar is HILLARIOUS as Franz Liebkind (Adolf Elizabeth Hitler?), Roger Bart is deliciously gay (meaning happy of course!) as Carmen Ghia, and Gary Beach steals the show durring all of his numbers as Roger DeBris with his visions of "German soldiers marching through France, played by chorus boys in very tight pants." I also have to give props to Cady Huffman's Ulla--her accent is delicious and her song is hillarious.

I adore all of the songs, but some that stand out are "The King of Broadway," "I Wanna Be a Producer," "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop," "Keep it Gay," "Along Came Bialy," "Where Did We Go Right," "Betrayed," "Til Him," and, of course, "Springtime for Hitler." Keeping up with his tradition of having bit parts in all of his films, Mel Brooks does a delightful cameo as a stormtrooper who advises, "Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Nazi Party!" And of course there's the flammingly gay Adolf Hitler who declares that he's the "German Ethel Merman, doncha know?!".

I'm just glad that I got this album durring the summer, because I suddenly find myself singing, "the Fuhrer is causing a furor" and "we're marching to a faster pace....look out, here comes the master race!" There's nothing more to say than The Producers is pure genius and anyone with $15 to burn HAS to buy this CD!


A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE TONYS   June 4, 2001
Mark Andrew Lawrence (Toronto)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

While waiting for tickets to THE PRODUCERS - and if you haven't already secured them you could be in for a long wait - you can savor the great moments from the score courtesy of Sony's original cast disc. This is one of the best cast albums to come from Sony since the days of Goddard Lieberson.

Produced by Hugh Fordin the CD captures the fun and spirit of the award-laden musical comedy. The booklet includes a detailed synopsis and a libretto, though neither is really necessary. Play the disc and you can easily follow the story. There are welcome bits of dialogue to bridge the songs and Mel Brooks seems quite happy to give away some of the shows best jokes. For more see the color photos in the booklet: A finale shot shows the marquees of some other Bialystock & Bloom musicals: MAIM, SOUTH PASSAIC and HIGH BUTTON JEWS among others.

If you are already a fan of Mel Brooks or know the 1967 film which inspired the musical, you have an inkling the tasteless lunacy that runs merrily through the CD's 73 minutes. But there is more. Nathan Lane was impressive with his 1996 revival of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, but here he sinks his teeth into the character of Max Bialystock the self-proclaimed "king of old Broadway." Lane does not posses a huge voice but his manic, over the top delivery enlivens the proceedings from the start. Listen to his late second act madcap recap of the plot to hear comic timing at its absolute best!

As his partner in crime, Matthew Broderick again displays a sweet-voiced innocence that masks his cut-throat ways. Broderick played a similar viper in the 1995 revival of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. Here he is given fewer opportunities to shine but he makes the most of "I Wanna Be a Producer" and the tender "'Til Him."

The rest of the cast are given their moments to shine but its Gary Beach who leads the showstopping "Springtime for Hitler" production number. Cady Huffman who impressed critics as Ziegfeld's favorite in THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES is once again cast as a blonde bombshell, this time with a German accent. "When You Got, Flaunt it" she sings ...and indeed she does.

Mel Brooks is named as composer of the score, and indeed he created the melodies by humming them into a tape recorder. The transcribing was done by Glen Kelly who remains an unsung hero for this musical. Kelly's transcriptions were orchestrated in traditional brassy Broadway style by Doug Besterman and played with great panache by a somewhat enlarged orchestra crisply conducted by Patrick S. Brady.

If Brooks had some assistance with the tunes, the lyrics are all his and there are jokes to spare: Brad Oscar as the title character in SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER declares himself "the German Ethel Merman" employing a Merman-esque twang as he sings the line; A chorus line of little old ladies do a tap dance using their walkers; A wildly inventive choreographer spins visions of "German Soldiers dancing through France played by chorus boys in very tight pants."

It is refreshing in an era of political correctness, when classic musical have to have their scores "adjusted" for modern consumption, that Mel Brooks seems so willing to risk offending every segment of the audience. We laugh at every tasteless joke and he laughs all the way to the bank!