I think you have to be of a certain age and disposition to understand, love and truly 'get' the genius behind the work of Mel Brooks. Younger audience members seemed a little lost. Admittedly "The Producers" is more well known and perhaps also a little more accessible than this satirical comedy-horror parody from the pen of Brooks way back in 1970. Moreover, the film of the same name is much easier to follow, the stage adaptation loses much due to the necessity for very short scenes and little time for certain characters' development. As far as the scenes are concerned I thought that Heywood AODS had got it sussed this evening by using a large screen to the rear upon which each scene could be easily and swiftly conveyed, a great idea which should have and could have worked without the need for extra, often clunky, often large, extra pieces of scenery being moved in and out constantly by the stage management team who were always visible - but unfortunately an unhappy marriage of the two did not really work as well as it ought.
The proficent band were in front of the proscenium stage, and lighting (as well as a few special effects) worked nicely. The sound levels were far too high throughout, distorting speech and hurting ears.
The acting however was, once again, absolutely up to the very high standard I have now come to expect from this society. The principals were a mix of faces old and new, and heading this strong team was the young actor Sam Reid, whom I have never seen before in the lead role of Froderick Fronkensteen, sorry, Frederick Frankenstein! A very personable and watchable performer and carried the show well. Max Harrison was The Monster, and his changes throughout as his character develops and becomes more "human/e" was excellently measured. Channelling Marty Feldman (and why not!?) was another talented and watchable actor in the role of Igor, Michael Thompson. Leonie Picariello was the sexy and lustful blonde bimbette who steals Frederick's heart, Inga, whilst Stephanie Mead as Elizabeth and James Earnshaw as Hans Kemp both made the most of their smaller but importrant roles. However, there are two performers who for this reviewer at least, deserve a special mention. I have seen both of them on stage before, and each time have been verily impressed by their characterisations and understanding of both the roles they perform and stagecraft in general. These are Shirley Harrison as Frau Blucher (neiggggggh!!), and Nick Angus as Dr Frankenstein Senior.
It is a fun, upbeat show, but some of the jokes were not landing correctly this evening. It is also not a show for youngsters, the sexual references and innuendoes should give the show a 14+ rating. It was the first time I have seen the stage version of this hilarious film, and it was a superb introduction for me. With a little less volume on the mics and a little work on comedy timing, this could be a truly superb show, and is deserving of a larger audience than this evening which was only half full unfortunately.
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