The Producers (2001 Original Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for The Producers (2001 Original Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: Thank you, Mel Brooks, For Your Love Letter to Broadway
Hit: 5 Stars
What a treat to listen to the soundtrack of Mel Brooks' musical comedy based on his 1968 movie of the same name. I've never seen the movie nor will I, in all likelihood, get to New York to see this on stage. But, sitting in the comfort of my own home and listening to Nathan Lane and Matthew Borderick belt out their angst-driven energy as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom was a fantastic musical treat. The lyrics brim with Mel Brooks' distinctive wit, and though he'll never be confused with Oscar Hammerstein, this brazen and bawdy man knows how to entertain better than almost anyone.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.
Free Music Review: Saw the musical, counted the days until the CD came out!
Hit: 5 Stars
I saw the pre-Broadway run of "The Producers" in Chicago and have never laughed so much and I had plenty of company. The whole theater was in the same state for the whole show. Now, Mel Brooks is no Richard Rodgers, Frederick Lowe, or George Gershwin. However, the tunes are pleasing and catchy. He does give Oscar Hammerstein, Alan Lerner, and Ira Gershwin a run for their money with the lyrics. There are so many jokes in the songs that I keep finding new ones every time I listen to the CD. Nathan Lane is different from Zero Mostel but has the stage prescence to pull off the role, both acting and singing. I had a harder time with Matthew Broderick in the Gene Wilder role. I kept seeing and hearing him as a smart alecky teenager a la "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." However, he does a good job playing the neurotic, socially inept, and (this is not in the movie)sexually repressed Leo Bloom. He also has a decent voice. Standouts on the CD include Max's King of Broadway and Betrayed, Leo's I Wanna Be a Producer, Franz Leibkind's Guten Tag Hop Clop, Ulla's If You Got It, Flaunt It, and Roger De Bris's Keep It Gay. Max's seduction of Leo into his scheme is beautifully detailed in We Can Do It. I love all the other songs on the CD as well. Be forewarned, this is not a G or PG rated CD. A few of the lyrics are raunchy so if you have young children or are offended by 4 letter words, think twice before you buy this.Free Music Review: Just amazing!
Hit: 5 Stars
Who would have thought that we would see something like it once more? Facing the days where most composers only have in mind how to write something that is regarded as "art", it is refreshing to meet a musical that is written just for the sake of a good time for the audience. Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan have effectively rewritten the film plot and the score is just heavenly. Now don`t get me wrong, I`m a big fan of Sondheim`s music too (and my desperation concerning Broadway shows is not caused by him) but good old-fashioned show biz score delights my ears. Oh - by the way - many things have been written about style resemblances of some songs (I wanna be a Producer - Jule Styne; That Face - Gershwin or Porter; Til Him - sounds like a Rodgers ballad), but has anyone noticed that the end of "Keep it gay" has a strong similarity with some strains of "La Cage aux Folle"`s title tune: Listen to "Keep it ..." from the lines "I see a line of beautiful girls" on (that is just after "Tonytonytony"). Well, Mr. Brooks, what about another one? There are still a lot of your films waiting to transformed into a musical. Anyway, I`m sure a normal book would be fine too. At least if Mr. Brooks finds again such a superb song arranger like Glen Kelly, an extraordinary vocal arranger like Pat Brady and a brilliant orchestrator like Dough Besterman.
Free Music Review: A riot with The Producers
Hit: 5 Stars
I had gone to see the (London) stage show after enjoying the film many years ago. To my pleasant surprise the stage show had introduced some new features and the whole experience greatly surpassed the film. The original London cast of Nathan Lane and Lee Evans were superb with Lane as Max Bialystock having stood head and shoulders above the rest of the wonderful cast. Having had such a good experience I wanted to re-live the experience through the Cast Recording although I was a touch apprehensive about how Matthew Broderick would compare to Evans however I needn't have worried as he plays the timid, niaive Leo Bloom to perfection.
If you are easily offended by stereotyping don't bother watching or listening to The Producers but for everyone else who has a sense of humour who can enjoy Mel Brook's tongue-in cheek absurdity then this is a must for your CD collection. In these days of political correctness Brook's throws the rule book out of the window with his larger than life characters.
Clever writing littered with subtleties and excellent timing make this musical comedy glide through seamlessly. This is Brook's materpiece and he has more than successfully managed to transfer and improve upon a classic film to create the kind of smash stage show that Max Bialystock worked so hard to avoid. At least he could keep listening to the CD to figure out what went so right!
Free Music Review: The real deal
Hit: 5 Stars
I expected "The Producers" to be a hoot on stage and as a cast album. What I didn't expect was that it would be such a genuinely lovable and endearing show -- it doesn't generate warmth by making you love the characters, really, but it does so with its obvious love for the Broadway musical. Mel Brooks has in fact described the show as "a love letter to Broadway", and it's completely true.Brooks is at his considerable best in his lyrics for the show; new songs and lyrics fit snugly alongside the old, all provoking fits of laughter. What's surprising, though, is the music. While none of it is exactly distinctive, it's all well-crafted and pleasant enough. And it fulfills its function as well as possible -- the music emphasizes every last comic beat and every intentionally cheesy "moment".
It's a classic score, full of production numbers, ballads, showstopping solo turns, a long and luscious overture, and a thrilling and utterly satisfying finale. All in the traditional style, with no "innovations" that might distract from its simple and abundant pleasures.
Tons of this kind of album used to be recorded every year, making "The Producers" even more of a wonderful treat. But it wouldn't have been at all shabby thirty years ago -- its cleverness and the quality of its execution both make it a knockout and a must-have.