* REVIEW Claire and I recently made the trip up to Chicago to see the "new" Mel Brooks musical, THE PRODUCERS. I've always been a big fan of the 1968 movie, so I was very excited to see this stage adaptation. First things first....It's a very funny show, and if it's not all there just yet, it is well on it's way to being a wonderful musical comedy. We saw the 5th performance of the Chicago preview run, so I'm sure that Mel, director Susan Stroman and the rest of the production team will be fixing the comedy bits and songs that don't quite work yet. At this early stage I'd give the show a 7 1/2 on a scale of 1-10, but they still have plenty of time to whip it into shape before the April Broadway opening.

The plot revolves around hack Broadway producer, Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane). His latest flop, "FUNNY BOY," has just closed on Broadway, and mild mannered accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) has arrived at Max's office to go over the books. Leo discovers that by selling more than 100% of a show to investors, it could be far more profitable to create a flop than a hit show (with a flop, you don't have to pay anybody back!). Max convinces Leo to join him in this scam, and they then set out to find the worst script, the worst director and the worst cast they can. The end product is a new musical called "SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER."

Mel Brooks wrote the music himself, and if it is not memorable, it is tuneful, upbeat and fun. The script is a riot, although at 3 hours (that includes the intermission), it could use some cuts. Nathan Lane is great as Bialystock (the role made famous by Zero Mostel). Lane makes the part his own and has total command of the stage. Matthew Broderick is not as successful at erasing the memory of his predecessor (Gene Wilder), but does a nifty job in his own "cute and cuddly" way. Both Lane and Broderick cracked some notes from time to time, leading me to believe that the cast might be passing a cold around.

The supporting cast is first rate. Gary Beach is hysterical as the VERY effeminate director, Roger De Bris, and his performance as Hitler (ala Judy Garland) in the "Springtime For Hitler" number will be marked down as one of the funniest moments in a musical EVER! The number is a comic masterpiece, and Susan Stroman has staged it beautifully. Roger Bart, who plays Carmen Ghia, the director's even more effeminate man servant, is also very funny. These guys are as good as their counterparts in the movie. The incredibly attractive Cady Huffman plays Ulla, the Swedish secretary, and while she hasn't mastered her accent yet, she sings well and looks great! The staff might be wise to rethink her character. Much is made of the fact that she can't speak English, and then she spends the whole show speaking in complete sentences. The character is much bigger than it was in the movie, and she is now the love interest of the Leo Bloom character. Perhaps if they made her a southern belle, or a Marilyn Monroe type, Huffman might come across better and the character might make more sense. Brad Oscar played the Nazi writer, Franz Liebkind, instead of the normal actor Ron Orbach, who has been sidelined because of a knee injury (Orbach will miss the rest of the Chicago run, but will be back in the show by the time the show opens in NYC!). Oscar did a very nice job, especially considering he didn't have the luxury of rehearsing with the other cast members for more than a couple of days! Usually an understudy doesn't have to go in that soon, but Oscar looks like he's been playing the part for weeks.

Susan Stroman does a nice job with the direction and the choreography, although some of the numbers seem deritive of her past work (especially a number entitled "I Wanna Be A Producer," which has chorus girls popping out of file cabinets. This number is VERY similar to "I Can't Be Bothered Now" from CRAZY FOR YOU, when the chorus girls popped out of the vintage car.). Sets, costumes and lights are all first class.

A warning to parents, the show is vulgar, in a Mel Brooks kind of way. There are cuss words (including the biggie!), jokes about female body parts, sexual innuendo and something to offend every special interest group. But......it is a riot, and the audience did not seem to be offended by this decidedly politically incorrect show. They roared at the jokes and stood up right at the start of the curtain call. This is a very old-fashioned musical COMEDY! It could have been written in 1960 (except for the dirty parts!). It's too early to predict what the New York critics will think, but I had a great time.