The Producers

 

By Diane Johnson

 

Playful, irreverent and hilarious The Producers, a Mel Brooks musical is now playing at the Marathon Community Theater.

 

The Producers is a show within a show, featuring the farcical production of Springtime for Hitler, in full costume with songs and choreographed dance numbers. Directed by Fred Hundhammer, this Tony Award winning show includes a cast of twenty who perform no less than 23 songs including choreography! The cast members reflected a wide range of both age and experience, with one young man in high school and another whose stage experience spans 35 years. Fred deftly directed this diverse cast creating a seamless production. The costumes, designed by Reit Steinmetz and Gail Burnett were striking and impressive given the size of the cast and the number of different changes required. The outfits were elaborate and colorful ranging from gowns and top hats to prison garb. Ann Hart does an excellent job on the choreography, something she has been doing since 1993. The dancing ranged from an energetic tap to a chorus line of high kicks to my favorite, a hysterical routine with a line of little old ladies using walkers. Kara Pascucci is the Producer and sound engineer and this is her first production at the Marathon Community Theater working backstage.

 

Devin Clark is Max Bialystock, the down on his luck Broadway producer. His booming voice and energetic presence create quite a contrast to Leo Bloom, the timid accountant played by John Schaefer. Leo goes through quite a transformation under Max’s tutelage. Allison Sayer is Ulla whose beautiful voice and sexy outfits took over the stage. A mother of two and happily married to Captain Tom, this lovely lady is happy to return to the theater. Bryan Foster portrays Roger DeBris, the cross dressing Director whose versatility was impressive, as he also played Hitler. Alistair McArthur was Carmen Ghia, Roger’s assistant. The two were so close they shared Roger’s favorite mole! William Dylan Ferrell is a giant of a man, especially in lederhosen. He played Franz Liebkind the playwright, and an eccentric whose political views are very scary.

 

The Ensemble consisted of 14 wonderful singing dancers who bring a lively presence to the production. The rich old lady vignettes were fun as they provided “checkies” in exchange for their true passion…sex !

 

The Marathon Community Theater is a 501c3 organization dedicated to contributing to and enhancing the cultural life of the Middle Keys community. Made up of local talent this theater is the epitome of a family with cast members who have worked together for many years, creating a natural pipeline of talent from the surrounding area. It’s well worth a little trip up the Keys to support this vibrant theater community.

 

The Producers is now playing at the Marathon Community Theater through April 4th. For tickets call the box office at: 305-743-0994 or go online at: www.marathontheater.org

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