The Producers (2001 Original Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for The Producers (2001 Original Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: The (Literally) Unbeatable Show
Hit: 5 Stars
It will probably be impossible for me to keep from being redundant in tossing accolades at The Producers, but here I go anyway. When The Producers swept the Tonys, winning all 12 categories in which it was nominated and breaking Hello Dolly's 37-year-old most Tonys record, I began to wonder if it really was that good, or if it just rode the crest of the hype. After getting the cast album, I have to say that with possibly one exception, it really did deserve all it got. This is Mel Brooks at his best. Every song lyric is so quintessentially Mel Brooks that you can practically hear him singing along in the background the entire time. The members of the cast are obviously having a marvelous time performing and it lends the recording a wonderful feeling of lightness. Nathan Lane is in excellent voice here, in fact probably the best I've ever heard him. What surprised me (pleasantly) is that so is Matthew Broderick. I will fully admit to not being a big Broderick fan. I didn't care for his performance in How To Succeed, which seemed to me to be too obviously patterened after Robert Morse. He just seems to get on my nerves somehow. Yet here, he really won me over. His characterization really seemed to be his own, and I actually more than liked his singing. In fact "I Want To Be a Producer" has turned out to be one of my favorite songs in the score, in part due to Broderick's performance. I could go on to dissect the rest of the recording, but what's more important is that if you're reading this in an attempt to decide whether to purchase this CD now or maybe get something else and pick this one up later here's your answer: Buy This Now. Anything else you might be considering can wait. You'll be glad you did. I mean, how many cast albums come along that have a chorus of pigeons cooing "Deutscheland Uber Alles"?Free Music Review: Pure Genius, Absolute Fun
Hit: 5 Stars
Memorable, beautiful, bright, crass, darkly humorous, and offensive - that is how I would summarize this wonderful musical. First off, I want to say that this CD is wonderful. Nathan Lane is awesome as Max Bialystock. I think that's how you spell it. Everyone is amazing, but he is great. And there is no one they could've picked better than him , I believe. No one will ever match him.Back on my review, all of the songs are delicious. I would have to say my favorite is "Betrayed". It's hillarious when he is recapping his past, fake and real. Nathan Lane is wonderful in this song.
Secondly, I'd like to state that Matthew Broderick did surprisingly well. I didn't expect him to do as he did - although, I didn't expect to see "The Music Man" turn out well, but it did. All of his songs are sang very well, considering the type of voice he has.
At first, when listening to the CD, I hated the song where that one dude tried out to be Hitler. I have the CD cover around here somehwere, but I don't want to take the time to type that long song title. Anyway, it's a wonderful song, and makes me laugh everytime I hear the reference to "French ooh-la-la's". Lovely.
The bottom line is - this is a great cast CD. For winning all of the awards it has won, it deserves as much as recognition as it recieves. Even though it does seem strange when you frist listen to it, it grows on you. The first time I put it into my CD player, I didn't like it. Now, I love it more than almost all of my CDs. Backstage and onstage, the people who put this together were geniuses. Especially the wonderful man who did the majority of the work - Book, Lyrics and Music - Mel Brooks. Susan Stroman is an amazing choreographer, also... sorry, had to put that on the end there. ;)
Free Music Review: A Rollicking Winner! - The Producers are Kings of Broadway
Hit: 5 Stars
It's a hit! We're ruined! On that beautifully wacky premise, the Broadway musical has moved forward by moving back. It is larceny on old lace, set to music. If this score had been written in the fifties, perhaps nobody would have really noticed. But coming today, it has reminded us of what Broadway once was. A street loaded with big book musicals, gaudy productions, and oh yes, laughter. And plenty of it. Mel Brooks foray into the Broadway musical has produced (pun intended) a score that is delightful and catchy. Oh, it may not be the most sophisticated series of show tunes ever written, but they really are SHOW tunes. The kind that have you humming them over and over again. To try to fool with a classic comedy could have been a terrible error. But Brooks sweet, almost generic love letter in song pulls it off in such a way that the original is only enhanced. Nathan Lane, singing the lead of Max Bialystock is fully the Broadway star and is King of Broadway. Matthew Broderick is the perfect mousy, nasally Leopold Bloom, singing "I Want To Be a Producer." The extended new version of "Springtime for Hitler" is where Brooks really sends up his love letter. Gary Beach, in his role within a role (Roger Devries playing Adolph Hitler), carries the nonsense perfectly to the recording when he declares, "I'm a German Ethel Merman, dontcha Know!" As is the case with any cast recording, seeing the show before listening is a plus. The tune, "Along Came Bialy," is produced on stage as one of the most hilarious, outrageous bits I have ever seen. But if you know the general story and follow the solid liner notes, you should have no trouble fully enjoying this solidly produced and well performed recording.Free Music Review: Racist My Foot!
Hit: 5 Stars
Okay, this review is for the people who are complaining about this show being "racist" and stuff. Oh my gosh- get over This show isn't about Germans, it's about two people who want to be producers! My friend, who is 100% Gemran, went and saw this show in New York and told me she absolutely loved it! So it's not just us "evil Americans" who like this show. Stop being so uptight. Sometimes, it's good to have dark humor. It makes things like the Nazis less depressing. If we never make fun of them and use them to make us laugh, then in my mind they've won. (Oh and by the way, to the person who talked about the biggest mass muderer in history- actually Hitler wasn't the biggest, Joseph Stallin killed a LOT more people than Hitler) And anyway, in the play, "Springtime for Hitler" is SUPPOSE to be a bad play that doesn't make any sense. That's the whole point of the musical! Is that the two producers make money off something that was suppose to flop! I think people just need to stop taking things so personally and stop blaming America whenever they choose to take something the wrong way. (America has its own problems, thank you very much. Not all Americans are wealty and happy, despite our image) Well you know what, America makes fun of itslef and we can laugh about it. I bet someday there'll be a play just like this one about the 9/11 attacks. It's good for people to laugh at that kinda stuff. It makes everything less gloomy. Anyway, that being said........
This play is funy. Period. The music and lyrics are hysterical. Period. It's no suprise that "Producers" won more TONY Awards than any other show!
Free Music Review: Fire Down Below!!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
The Producers is without a doubt the single funniest show I have ever seen. I don't think I have ever laughed so many times in a three hour period in my entire life. All those Tonys were well deserved. This CD does a fantastic job of preserving this hilarious show and the amazing performances of the cast. Mel Brooks has written a true gem of a score from the Fiddler On the Roof (and I swear the end of the song sounds like Reviewing the Situation from Oliver!) inspired "King of Broadway" straight through the amazingly catchy "I Want To Be a Producer," the sexy "If You Got It, Flaunt It," the hilarious "Along Came Bialy," and the two masterpieces of the show: "Springtime for Hitler" and "Betrayed." The entire cast is brilliant here, and each cast member has a moment to shine. I've listened to the recording several times, and while I still laugh at much of it, I've grown to appreciate the score on the level of it just being a good, solid musical with very hummable tunes (not always something I REQUIRE - Sondheim's my favorite composer). Although it can be a little embarrassing finding yourself singing "Springtime for Hitler and Germany/Deutshland's a fine land once more..." the show is perfect in it's satiric potshots so this is far more acceptable than singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" from Cabaret (Love Kander and Ebb, but did they have to make THAT song so catchy?) Anyway, buy this CD - you won't regret it - and if you haven't seen the show yet, ask someone who has why the line "It's nearly ELEVEN" is so funny!