You Never Say Goodluck on Opening Night

Mel Brooks making fun of Nazis makes for good theater. I hope everyone reading is familiar with Mel Brooks; if you do not know who he is, then you should. He is one of my favorite director/actors of all time. Some of his best works include: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Brooks is usually not politically correct in what he does, and The Producers is no exception.

The Producers was first a movie, then a Broadway musical, and then again a movie. The musical, which won 12 Tonys, starred Nathan Lane (The Lion King) and Mathew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off). It is about a producer, Max Baileystock, and an accountant, Leo Bloom, who decide to produce a show that will be sure to flop. Their scheme is to raise more money than it costs to put on, keep what is left, and run away to Rio. They set out to find the worst script and the worst director. The show they picked is called Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolph and Eva at Berchtesgaden, written by an ex-nazi who worships Hitler. Instead of the musical being a flop, the audience mistakes the plot as being a humorous satire and the show is a huge success. And Max and Leo are convicted and sent to prison.

The subject of Hitler can be touchy and some people may find dancing and singing Nazis inappropiate. Mel Brooks, who is Jewish, does not see it that way. Pam Harbaugh, on her blog for FloridaToday.com, quotes Mel Brooks on this topic in an interview with U.S News and World Report ". . . if you ridicule them, bring them down with laughter -- they can't win. You show how crazy they are." I did not find any part of this musical offensive. It was really funny. And the dancing Nazis were humorous, because the idea of it was just so ridiculous. I would highly recommend seeing this musical.

What I would not recommend is the movie. There are two movies, one from 1968 and one from 2005. I have never seen the original, but I was sadly disappointed with the most recent one. It starred the origianl Broadways actors Lane and Broderick. Having loved the show I was excited to see the movie. I did not even finish the movie. I found it boring and was actually annoyed with it. It is nothing compared to the show. Film critic, Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, remarked "It's not all it was on stage and it's not all it could be on film. The result is a often jolly, highly-polished compromise, which can't be what anyone intended. Or wanted. " Some musicals just do not work for film, and this would be an example of that.