A cast of almost two dozen, an elaborate set, crazy costumes, singing, dancing, more than enough jokes to offend everyone and one of Mel Brooks’ zaniest plotlines all combined to produce a hilarious evening of theater Friday night at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre as the CTC presented “The Producers.”
To say it had everything would understate things. Just when members of the sold-out audience didn’t think things could get any more over the top, the stage filled with 15 look-alike oversexed grannies with walkers performing a brilliantly choreographed song-and-dance number.
As if that wasn’t enough, there were dancing girls outfitted in flowing sausages, giant pretzels and beer steins the size of VW Beetles. They shared the stage with Adolf Hitler as a dancing queen during the show’s signature “Springtime for Hitler” number.
“The Producers” finds schlock Broadway producer Max Bialystock and accountant-turned-producer Leo Bloom scheming to produce the worst play ever in order to make money off the sure-to-fail musical “Springtime for Hitler.”
They hire the worst screenwriter, played beautifully by Rodney Van Valkenberg as the pigeon-loving, goose-stepping fan of the Fuhrer; the worst director, perfectly performed by Scott Dunlap; and the gayest cast they can find to portray the play-within-a-play’s dancing and singing Nazis.
Bialystock is portrayed by Allan A. Ledford, and while his comic timing and delivery were uneven at times, he shone on the musical numbers “We Can Do It” and “Betrayed.”
Zachary James Cavan as the nervous and neurotic Bloom was wonderful, and Andrew Chauncey also was truly brilliant in the role of Carmen Ghia, “common-law assistant” to Dunlap’s Roger DeBris character. In a cast of over-the-top campy characters, he might have topped them all.
Just as entertaining and talented was the 15-member ensemble who were up to the task of handling Jessica Laliberte Bowman’s demanding choreography. The dance numbers, along with the costuming, were a large part of the play’s success.
Fans looking for three hours of escapism through good theater will love this production of the “The Producers.”
“The Producers” continues at the CTC through Aug. 29 and is highly recommended.