The story of The Producers could have been ripped from today's headlines. We read of easy money scams, greed and deception enriching schemers everywhere: Wall Street CEOs, a Minnesota big shot, a Forrest Lake pastor.
We doubt those bad guys have anywhere near the talent of the characters in last night's Chanhassen Dinner Theatre performance, where Leo Bloom cooks the books as Max Bialystock literally screws rich old ladies.
We doubt those bad guys have anywhere near the talent of the characters in last night's Chanhassen Dinner Theatre performance, where Leo Bloom cooks the books as Max Bialystock literally screws rich old ladies.
Both end up in prison after a seemingly endless expose' of evil Broadway machinations, but are swiftly excused by the governor for the important work they do teaching prisoners to line dance. We doubt our current batch of white collar criminals will get off as easily, but we willingly suspended our disbelief last night.
Mel Brooks is a funny, irreverent man. We laughed at his Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, at his 2000 Year Old Man. ("Jesus? Yes. I knew him. A nice man. He used to come into the store. Never bought anything.") For some reason, we had never seen his 1968 movie so we weren't sure what to expect last night.
"It will be hilarious," we were repeatedly warned. "You will laugh!" And it was funny. Some of the character development was outrageously funny. But it was also uneven and needed tightening. The basic premise: -- open a show on Broadway that is so bad it closes in one night and you can keep all the investor's front money because no one will bother checking up on a flop, -- isn't exactly a masterpiece of artifice. You have to be a good sport to go along with it, and by the time the story finally closes with the obligatory values and redemption segment, you're exhausted.
Our favorite Chanhassen comic, Jay Albright, managed to keep his energy high during his demanding role as producer Bialystock, the role taken by Zero Mostel in the movie. Albright (see photo) was the lightweight butt of some flat fat jokes. His vigorous casting-couch humping of an oversexed senior citizen investor momentarily startled those of us more accustomed to the usual chicken Chanhassen, but it was all in good fun and somehow acceptably done. The recruitment of a gay director brought the most audience howls as Roger DeBris (the amazingly versatile David Anthony Brinkley - photo below) and his assistant Carmen Ghia (Mark King) pranced around their purple apartment, satisfying our wildest stereotypes of what we might imagine to be a Broadway lifestyle.
The writing is good, but so good, apparently, that no joke could be left behind. We could think of a few. It's a Brooks trademark to wander around a bit, trying to get all the good bits and references included. But we're not Broadway insiders, and we're older now, and speaking only of myself, just a bit grumpier, crankier, a bit more McCainish these days. So our drive home from Chanhassen seemed a little longer last night, but so was the show -- three hours. We'll hurry back though. Coming in February? "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," Kathleen's absolute favorite. And then? Oklahoma!
Mel Brooks is a funny, irreverent man. We laughed at his Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, at his 2000 Year Old Man. ("Jesus? Yes. I knew him. A nice man. He used to come into the store. Never bought anything.") For some reason, we had never seen his 1968 movie so we weren't sure what to expect last night."It will be hilarious," we were repeatedly warned. "You will laugh!" And it was funny. Some of the character development was outrageously funny. But it was also uneven and needed tightening. The basic premise: -- open a show on Broadway that is so bad it closes in one night and you can keep all the investor's front money because no one will bother checking up on a flop, -- isn't exactly a masterpiece of artifice. You have to be a good sport to go along with it, and by the time the story finally closes with the obligatory values and redemption segment, you're exhausted.
Our favorite Chanhassen comic, Jay Albright, managed to keep his energy high during his demanding role as producer Bialystock, the role taken by Zero Mostel in the movie. Albright (see photo) was the lightweight butt of some flat fat jokes. His vigorous casting-couch humping of an oversexed senior citizen investor momentarily startled those of us more accustomed to the usual chicken Chanhassen, but it was all in good fun and somehow acceptably done. The recruitment of a gay director brought the most audience howls as Roger DeBris (the amazingly versatile David Anthony Brinkley - photo below) and his assistant Carmen Ghia (Mark King) pranced around their purple apartment, satisfying our wildest stereotypes of what we might imagine to be a Broadway lifestyle.
The writing is good, but so good, apparently, that no joke could be left behind. We could think of a few. It's a Brooks trademark to wander around a bit, trying to get all the good bits and references included. But we're not Broadway insiders, and we're older now, and speaking only of myself, just a bit grumpier, crankier, a bit more McCainish these days. So our drive home from Chanhassen seemed a little longer last night, but so was the show -- three hours. We'll hurry back though. Coming in February? "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," Kathleen's absolute favorite. And then? Oklahoma!
Yow!
All photos by Act One, Too Ltd
(We saw the editor of the Chanhassen Villager -- Download Dick -- and his lovely wife at last night's show, he with a pad and pencil. We promised to post these comments early today, so he would have a chance to cut and paste.)
