Tonight I saw "The Producers" at Paris, courtesy of Caesars Palace. First,
I'm a huge fan of musicals - Broadway & movie musicals. So I did enjoy the
show. However I have certain reservations about wholeheartedly recommending
it.
The cast was excellent, especially Brad Oscar (Max Bialystock) and Larry
Raben (Leo Bloom), who had played the same parts on Broadway. Oscar also was
the original Franz Liebkind in the Broadway production. David Hasselhoff
plays the over-the-top gay director, Roger DeBris. He also did a good job,
especially when portraying Hitler during "Heil to Me." Fred Applegate did a
noteworthy job as Franz Liebkind. However I found Leigh Zimmerman's Ulla just a
tad too tame, not quite sexy enough, and her Swedish accent a bit much (it is
supposed to be exaggerated, but it seemed contrived).
Now if you are a big Hasselhoff man, be aware that he doesn't appear until
close to half-way into the show, and he is a secondary character. Oscar and
Raben are the stars. Also he will be leaving the show at the end of March,
according to the box office.
The price of seats is too high, in my opinion, for a 1 1/2 hour show that is
on the old-fashioned side. Right now you may be able to get discounted
seats for locals or other discounts. Sitting in the $148+ front orchestra seats
may be nice, but at that price you may be disappointed in what you get.
While the audience seemed to enjoy the show, I noticed that the ovation at
the end was only about 1/2 standing, and many people were quick to leave.
This was a noticeable departure from most shows I've seen in Vegas, where the
people all stand and keep applauding for some time.
One problem is that if you've recently seen the original Mel Brooks
Producers movie (Zero Mostel) or the film of the Broadway show, you won't find the
material as original as if you had never seen those. Still I did laugh at
places and found the show well done. But other people might have felt that this
wasn't worth the money.
Further, to get the show down to 1 1/2 hours, a lot of musical numbers were
cut. I definitely was disappointed that two of my favorites from Broadway
were gone: "That Face" and "You Never Say Good Luck on Opening Night." The
cuts reduced the sweet love affair between Ulla and Bloom, and also made the
complex relationship between Bielystock and Bloom much simpler. The Bielystock
& Bloom relationship was one of the most memorable things about the original
Zero Mostel film.
Other numbers cut weren't as important, but if you've already seen the film
or Broadway show you might miss: "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop", "Betrayed" and
"Where did we go right."
So in short, I think they've compressed the show a little too much. Another
15 minutes, including "That Face," would have been helpful.
If you've never seen The Producers in another form, you definitely will
enjoy this version more than if you had seen it elsewhere. Or if you only dimly
remember the original film, you probably will enjoy it more than I did. But
if you've recently seen the film of the Broadway version, you probably aren't
going to be too impressed.
The show definitely has an old fashioned feel, which could be a disadvantage.
I saw it on a Sat. night and there were a lot of unsold seats on one side of
the theater. Also a number of seats were filled by Harrah's club members
who received free tickets. This, combined with the somewhat lackluster
applause at the end, makes me think that this show won't last all that long in Las
Vegas.
If you love Broadway shows, or Mel Brooks, you may definitely want to see
this. But if your time in Las Vegas is limited, and you haven't seen very many
shows here, I'd recommend some of these other choices instead: "O" (the
best Cirque du Soliel show), "The Phantom of the Opera" (Venetian), "Mama Mia"
(only a few more months of shows, "Le Reve" (similar to a Cirque show), Celine
Dion, "Ka" (Cirque), and for Beatles fans Cirque's "Love" at the Mirage
(though personally I was totally disappointed in it - but others loved it).
Strangely, I think that the short-lived "Hairspray" and "Avenue Q" were
better shows. "Hairspray" is the one that seemed to me like it would have been a
hit in Vegas, so I have to say I have my doubts that "The Producers" will
last very long here.
So if you are interested in seeing it, my advice would be to go soon.
By the way, I've already seen Phantom of the Opera and Mama Mia twice, but I
definitely would see them again if I had another free ticket. On the other
hand, I don't think I would go to see The Producers again, even with a
freebie. Instead, I would rather watch the movie version with Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick....not because they were better actors or singers than this
cast (they were probably equal), but because Uma Thurman was extraordinary as
Ulla in the movie, and also I could watch the missing musical numbers,
especially "That Face," which was probably my favorite in the film. In fact, I have
a hankering to go and watch that number right now (easy to do with my DVD
copy!).
Cost cutting tip: Look for people wearing Producers costumes around and
inside of Paris and Bally's or ask around inside at Total Rewards for discount
coupons. I picked up several for free drinks during the show (they sell
alcoholic beverages for $14 or so, so this was a big savings). I've also spotting
$10 off coupons. Should the show begin to fail, be on the lookout for 1/2
price or 2-fers in upcoming months. At a price of about $75 for an orchestra
ticket, the show would certainly become a bargain.
Harrah's players can also ask hosts for comped tickets. These normally will
come from your accumulated reward credits, but if you run out, a good host
may be able to still comp you, if you have strong play. It does no harm to
ask.
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