The Producers at the Liverpool Empire Review
The Producers
Liverpool Empire
1-6 June 2015
Reviewed by Sue Trish
We arrived at the Liverpool Empire about 10 minutes before the show started and were shown to the box office by a really helpful member of staff. Tickets were collected smoothly and without any problems so we headed for the bar.
The piano bar was beautiful! Really tastefully decorated to suit its surroundings and the lovely touch of beautiful music played by a live pianist in the corner. Drinks and snacks were priced as you would expect in a theatre and we were given the opportunity to purchase our drinks for ready for the interval to save time and queuing.
The tannoy announced that it was 5 minutes to show starting so we headed to our seats. There were plenty of staff around and people seemed to find their places with ease and without fuss.
Right on time the show started with fantastic singing and dancing to get the atmosphere going. Based on Mel Brooks’ much-loved, award winning movie, The Producers tells the story of New York producer Max Bialystock (Cory English) who recruits browbeaten accountant Leo Bloom (comedian Jason Manford) to help him pull off Broadway’s greatest washout. In their bid to stage an enormous musical flop, they accidently pull off a Broadway hit – ‘Springtime for Hitler.’
The evening offered some fantastic singing and dancing mixed with laughter and slapstick comedy. I thought the first half was rather slow, despite plenty of singing and dancing it was dragged out a bit. It was the second half where things really came to life for me.
The star of the show for me was Cory English, playing Max Bialystock, the big time producer with an eye for old ladies and their cheque books. He performed every last inch of the part with such passion and conviction! He was funny and believable – and handled some sort of audience heckler with absolute class!!
Jason Manford also gave a fantastic performance as Leo Bloom, a lumbering accountant with big showbiz dreams. His singing and dancing was brilliant – who knew he could tap dance?
Ross Noble had some incredibly funny moments too as barmy writer and Hitler impersonator Franz Liebking.
I can’t write a review without mentioning the campest of camp scene of “Hitler in Springtime”. It was one of the funniest things I have ever watched. The singing and dancing was brilliant and the costumes were a touch of genius! Hitler in a glitzy sparkling jacket and his entourage in equally sparkling and camp costumes were a sight to be seen! An absolute credit to all involved in that scene – the audience were in hysterics laughing all the way through it!!
The costumes were wonderful and the stag was outstanding and constantly changing! There were so many things to look at on stage it was difficult to decide where to look! Between the glittery drag queens and sparkly swastikas it was an absolutely brilliant show and I would highly recommend it!
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £12.90 to £48.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
The Producers is at the Liverpool Empire until 6 June 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 8713017.
Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE | 0844 8713017
