Theatre review: The Producers

Rochdale Musical Theatre Company

Champness Hall, Rochdale - May 2022

“A satiric masterpiece”, “it was shocking outrageous and insulting”, and I, along with the rest of the audience at Rochdale musical theatre company’s latest production, ‘The Producers’, loved every minute of it.

The production follows Max, a washed-up Broadway producer and Leo, an accountant/wannabe Broadway producer. The duo go out and search for the worst script, director and cast to create an undoubtable Broadway flop. The pair hope their production of 'Springtime for Hitler' will close before its even opened, so they can escape to Rio with the two million dollars raised for the production.

Returning to the Champness Hall, Rochdale for the second time, RMTC welcomed back the production team which brought you ‘Legally Blonde’ in October last year. Jess Bray took on the mammoth task of directing ‘The Producers’ and making the piece fit the three-level stage at Champness hall. She has a way of using this unusual stage to her advantage, making the space seem to be one level from an audience perspective.

Complementing Jess’s direction, Nikki Cooke choreographed each musical number using the ensemble members. I love watching musicals which choreograph for the ensemble with simple but effective moves.

Chris Amis and Steven Brady created a simple yet effective set for this production. Somehow Chris and his team slimmed down the bulk and made each and every scene change flow.

Musically this show has many challenging numbers as it is host to varied musical styles. Chris Addington delivered yet again, a fabulous sound along with his show band.

Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson, but for this review we shall just refer to her as Ulla, is a role that needs a triple threat, and Rochdale’s answer to this challenge was Annabelle Taylor. Annabelle certainly has it, and she flaunted it and stunned the audience with a beautiful performance. Her comedy timing was perfect, not to mention her Swedish accent!

Roger DeBris, the flamboyant gay man and also Max’s director of choice, was played by Josh Hindle. He entered the stage in a floor length sequined gown and his performance of ‘Keep It Gay’ certainly got the audience pumped and ready for his version of Springtime for Hitler.

Carmen Ghia (Michael Twigg), Debris’ equally flamboyant partner, was over the top and minced across the stage bouncing off Josh. This partnership worked well and was a great piece of casting from the production team.

The creator of the ill-fated play, Franz Liebkind, a Neo-Nazi who worships Adolf Hitler was played by Ben Maguire who excelled in this role. From outrageous dance routines to talking to his pigeons, Ben was a joy to watch - you can tell he was enjoying performing it as much as the audience enjoyed watching it.

Leo Bloom, played by Zac Grenier, has the biggest character development throughout the show, starting as a bumbling wimp, to being a brave fraudulent Broadway Producer. And Zac did not disappoint: a stellar performance that we have come to expect from Zac.

For me the performance of the show went to Mike Wignall as Max. When watching a musical with a massive cult following, there is always a concern that an actor will try to make a carbon copy of the original performance. But as soon as Mike made his entrance, he made the role is own. Mike commanded the stage and vocals excelled with a range of musical numbers.

Review: Sophie Lord Adjudicator for the Association of Community Theatre UK

Images: Martin Ogden

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