Book: Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan
Music & Lyrics: Mel Brooks
Choreographer: Lorin Latarro
Director: Patrick Marber
Bialystock & Bloom, Broadway’s most unfortunate theatrical producers, have returned to London’s West End following the success of last year’s sold-out Menier Chocolate Factory production. Mel Brooks’ The Producers is back again in Theatreland, and whilst it delivers plenty of laughs, this transfer feels like it has lost some of its original sparkle.
Based on Brooks’ 1967 film of the same name, this musical adaptation follows Max Bialystock (Andy Nyman), a once-great Broadway producer who has hit something of a rough patch. His recent productions have all been flops, and his current show, Funny Boy (a musical based on Hamlet), closes after just one performance. To add insult to injury, his accountant Leo Bloom (Marc Antolin) informs him that he under-spent £2000 and now owes money. In a fit of desperation, Bialystock persuades Bloom to ‘hide’ that money, and in doing so, realises that, with the right accounting, a producer could make far more money from a flop than from a hit.
A lightbulb moment strikes Bialystock and, with a bit of coercion, he and Bloom go into business to produce the worst Broadway show ever: a sure-fire flop and their road to riches. After much searching, they find the motherlode in a pre-war love letter to Adolf Hitler, written by Franz Liebkind (Harry Morrison), a German pigeon-fancying ex-Nazi soldier. If that wasn’t enough to secure their show’s failure, the duo recruit one of the worst and campest directors around, Roger Debris (Trevor Ashley), who, with his troupe of creatives, aims to turn Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva into a sequined, high-camp musical.
Suffice it to say that creating a flop isn’t as easy as it may initially seem, and their journey to success via failure is far from straightforward.
Brooks and Thomas Meehan have created a musical comedy that is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny. It’s littered with jokes (perhaps even too many) and wonderful physical comedy. Most surprisingly, the musical numbers are delightful too. Brooks may be renowned as a comedian, but he’s also a gifted songwriter. The music pays homage to the Broadway and Hollywood musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, working perfectly here with funny lyrics and easily accessible, hummable melodies.
However, this West End transfer feels somewhat lost compared to its previous incarnation. The production, which worked beautifully in the intimate confines of the Menier Chocolate Factory (with under 200 seats), appears rather lacklustre in its current home. The dance numbers are effective but lack the sizzle of the West End’s original production. The comedy remains wonderfully sharp, yet the direction feels slightly rushed. A number of delightful eye rolls and head gestures that proved so effective in a smaller space get lost in the larger auditorium.
Don’t misunderstand: this is a lovely production full of proper, old-fashioned belly laughs. It’s wonderfully silly and, as with the best comedy, likely to offend some people. But if you had the pleasure of seeing the original West End or Broadway productions, or last year’s performances at the Menier, you’ll likely leave feeling highly entertained whilst sensing that it just missed those all-too-delightful high notes.
Runs until 21 February 2026
