Say goodbye to the winter blues as PODS presents a brilliant week of hilarious – and completely un-PC – fun as they take on Mel Brooks’ The Producers…
If you’re fed up of the glum weather and the endless talk of politics on the telly, Peterborough Operatic and Dramatic Society (PODS) have got just the tonic. The no-holes barred, totally mischievous musical comedy The Producers is packed with all the belly laughs you need to well and truly shake those winter cobwebs away. And with not a whiff of political correctness throughout a single section of the show, it’s bound to drag you out of the winter slump – and all that Brexit talk – to put a bit of much-needed springtime in your step.
The society, that’s made up of everyone from policemen to nurses, students to teachers, have spent their evenings taking a break from normal life to become little old ladies dancing with zimmer frames, Tiller-girl style showgirls and even lederhosen-clad Nazis. And now they’re ready to show you what’s bound to be the most mischievous show in Peterborough.
It all starts when a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer Max Bialystock and his mild-mannered accountant Leo Bloom come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history. Their idea is all about cheating their ‘little old lady’ backers out of millions of dollars to put on the worst show in town. Only one thing goes wrong: the show is a smash hit!
Follow Max and Leo as they manoeuvre their way fecklessly through finding a show, hiring a director, raising the money and finally taking to the stage with what’s meant to be the show to end all rotten shows.
Along the way you’ll meet Franz Liebkind, the deranged writer of the play Springtime For Hitler, who, from his coup of beloved pigeons, has penned the ultimate love letter to his favourite Fuhrer. Then there’s flamboyant Roger De Bris, the worst director in New York and his ‘common-law assistant’ Carmen Ghia who, with their camp, all-singing, all dancing team, add their unique take on the show so they can always ‘Keep It Gay’.
And last of all, is Ulla, the Swedish beauty with the longest legs and the biggest ambition to be a star, who brings the complication of love into the heady mix of double-bluffing and scheming.
It’s now time to enjoy the impish, scallywag humour we’ve come to expect from a Mel Brooks’ masterpiece alongside a generous serving of stylish and sophisticated Broadway musical magic with glittering dance numbers from I Wanna Be A Producer to King of Broadway.
The Producers is at The Key Theatre, March 12-16, 7.30pm (plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee). For tickets, please call in to The Key Theatre box office, call 01733 207239 or visit www.vivacity.org/whatson
Photos: Cast shots – Charlie Haynes. Rehearsal shots – Ylana Hunt.
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