The Producers

When I watched Repertory Philippines’ The Producers, I had to leave political correctness at the door and not to take offense too easily. If I adhered to what others refer to as my usual stuffy, uptight self, then I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this comedic rollercoaster ride that poked fun at stereotypes and taboos. Cast member Topper Fabregas who played Leo Bloom said during the press conference that the audience would laugh so hard that they would have abs by the end of the show. I did laugh hard during the entire show but it was not enough to dissolve the flab and reveal the abs.

To say that the premise of this musical is absurd is an understatement. In The Producers, a has been producer Max Bialystock (Carlo Orosa) and a washed out accountant Leopold Bloom (Topper Fabregas) join forces and scheme to produce the worst musical possible so that they could scam $2,000,000 from investors comprised mainly of horny old women. The musical follows the duo’s quest to assemble the worst script (written by Franz Liebkind played by Joel Trinidad), director (a flamboyantly gay Roger de Bris played by Audie Gemora) and come up with the funds through Max’s seduction of several horny old women. All this led the duo to produce Springtime for Hitler which they expected to flop big time. But opening night turned out to be an unprecedented success and this eventually ruined their well thought of plan.

Mel Brooks’ irreverent humor pushes boundaries and this production especially the cast didn’t hold back. Carlo Orosa exuded swagger as the scheming and seducing Max. Topper embodied the clueless and awkward nature of Leo. G Töngi might have played the ditzy Ulla Inga Hanson Benson Yanson Tallen Hallen Svadon Swanson but she had one of the most physically challenging roles and was able to showcase in the show her dance training. Joel Trinidad as Franz basically adhered to the stereotypical German in lederhosen that was easy to laugh at.

But it was Audie Gemora as Roger De Bris who stole the show. Dressed in a silver, shimmery gown at one point, Audie portrayed probably his most daring role to date. I once told him that I expected a lot more dancing from him during his I Was Here... concert and he definitely didn’t lack in the dancing department here at The Producers with the cartwheel and the split. It was also nice to see Noel Rayos twirl his way on the stage as Roger’s common law assistant Carmen Ghia. The last time I saw him was during Lorenzo wherein he was still confined to a wheelchair. As always, the ensemble tackled numerous roles often requiring quick changes. Their chameleon like performances added more depth and variety to the musical despite their relatively small number.

I did find that almost all of the songs did not have what it took to leave melodies in my head way after the show with the exception of Ulla’s If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It. But it’s the humor, once one conditions himself not to take things seriously, that really sold the show. And it was also during this time when I realized that Alice in Wonderland was still ongoing during The Producers’ run and that both productions had to share the not just the same Onstage theater at Greenbelt, but the same resources and sometimes the same actors. It was amazing to see firsthand how Repertory Philippines is able to handle their concurrent children’s production and their big musical.