The Producers - Original Cast (CD 2001)

The Producers is Mel Brooks biggest achievement, winning 12 Tony awards, the most ever won! The Producers was based on Brooks old film The Producers , starring Zero Mostel (Max Bialystock) and Gene Wilder (Leopold Bloom).

In my opinion Matthew Broderick (Leopold Bloom) and Nathan Lane (Max Bialystock) are much better suited for the parts as you can clearly hear on the recording; whether it s Leo s squeaky, mouse-like voice or Max s brassy, bold, and exciting voicing, you can draw a much better image of the characters.

Cady Huffman is Ulla, Leo s love interest throughout the show. She is possibly one of the best belt-style singers I've ever heard. Ulla is a young woman from Sweden who comes to Bialystock and Bloom s office to audition for the show they are putting on. Max instantly falls in love with her beauty as she sings If you Got it Flaunt it . Which is a song I just love because it shows off all of Huffman s singing abilities. Leo, however, enchanted by her beauty, is more interested in Ulla as a genuine love interest. Ulla and Leo sing a heart-felt duet called That Face .

The two funniest characters are Roger Dibris and Carmen Ghia, two over-the-top flamboyantly gay drama buffs. Roger is renowned as the worst director in all of New York, and Carmen is his common law assistant . They live together in a huge house with their completely male production crew. When Max and Leo go to Roger s apartment to ask him to direct the play the whole household breaks into a fast paced, witty song called Keep it Gay . After singing and dancing Roger agrees to direct the play and Max assures him that he can make the play as gay as anyone could possibly imagine .

To raise money for the play Max launches himself into a full ensemble number, little old lady land , where Max pleasures the little old ladies who give him money to back his show. This song is up-tempo and the end of act one, with a medley of all the songs from act one sung throughout. The funniest part of the song is when the little old ladies come out and do a dance on their walkers which adds a fnd tap-like routine to the soundtrack.

My personal favorite character is Franz Liebkind, a German-American who swears he had nothing to do with WW2. Franz is the writer of the play Springtime for Hitler which is the play Max and Leo want to produce. Franz is outrageous on the recording in songs such as Haben sie gehort das deutsche band? which means have you heard the German band; he also sings Der guten tag hop clop which he claims was Hitler s favorite song.

Some of Brooks s movies are Robin Hood: Men in tights, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, and Young Frankenstein. If you enjoy any of these movies you will love this music!