Cunning Stunts
Producers opens fire in Margate
Mel Brooks’ satirical musical comedy The Producers held its opening promotional bash in Margate this morning as a bevy of goose-stepping dancers strutted their stuff to Springtime for Hitler.
The production, staring Jason Manford, Phill Jupitus and Louie Spence, opens in Bromley next week and arrives in Edinburgh for a week-long stay at the Festival Theatre in a little under four weeks, on Monday 23 March 2015, as part of an 18-stop national tour.
As outrageous publicity stunts go, this one was up there with the most tasteless: apparently a bunch of real loony right-wing nutters were also in Margate this morning – going about the business of pushing their own style of racist tosh.
Unlike UKIP, The Producers is meant to be a joke. And it’s got much better songs.
Impoverished by a string of flops, New York producer Max Bialystock recruits timid accountant Leo Bloom to help him pull off Broadway’s greatest scam. They aim to produce the worst show ever and run away with millions, but they soon learn that show business can kick you in the teeth.
pumping at full volume
Comedian Jason Manford will be playing Leo Bloom with Cory English as Max Bialystock. Phill Jupitus and Ross Noble share the role of Franz Liebkind (Jupitus will be in Edinburgh) with choreographer and TV personality Louie Spence as Carmen Ghia.
The show’s great musical number, Springtime for Hitler, was pumping at full volume from the turret of a WW2 tank this morning, providing the soundtrack to the musical goose steppers – clad in what the publicist insisted on referring to as “Gestapo-style hot pants, Jackboots and insignia”.
Producer of The Producers Adam Spiegel commented, “We open the UK tour of The Producers in Bromley next week and Margate seemed a perfect place to start the promotion. I’m disappointed but not entirely surprised to see that UKIP are trying to hitch a publicity ride on the back of the show.”
Listing
The Producers
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT
Monday 23 – Saturday 28 March 2015
Evenings at 7.30 pm, Thursday and Saturday matinee at 2.30 pm
Tickets and furhter details: http://www.edtheatres.com/theproducers
The Producers on tour 2015: | |||
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7 – 14 March | Bromley Churchill Theatre |
08448 717 620 | Book online |
16 – 21 March | Manchester Palace Theatre |
0844 871 3019 | Book online |
23 – 28 March | Edinburgh Festival Theatre |
0131 529 6000 | Book online |
30 March – 4 April | Milton Keynes Milton Keynes Theatre |
0844 871 7652 | Book online |
7 – 11 April | Southend-on-sea Cliffs Pavilion |
01702 351135 | Book online |
13 -18 April | Brighton Theatre Royal Brighton |
0844 871 7650 | Book online |
20 – 25 April | Birmingham The New Alexandra Theatre |
0844 871 3011 | Book online |
27 April – 2 May | Bristol Bristol Hippodrome |
0844 871 3012 | Book online |
4 – 9 May | Belfast Grand Opera House |
02890 241919 | Book online |
11 – 16 May | Sunderland Empire Theatre |
0844 871 3022 | Book online |
18 – 23 May | Woking New Victoria Theatre |
0844 871 7645 | Book online |
26 – 30 May | Southampton Mayflower Theatre |
02380 711811 | Book online |
1 – 6 June | Liverpool Empire Theatre |
08448 713 017 | Book online |
8 – 13 June | Leeds Leeds Grand Theatre |
0844 848 2700 | Book online |
15 – 20 June | Glasgow Theatre Royal |
0844 871 7647 | Book online |
22 – 27 June | Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre |
01224 641122 | Book online |
29 June – 4 July | Oxford Oxford New Theatre |
0844 871 3020 | Book online |
6 – 11 July | Dublin Dublin Bord Gais |
0818 719 377 | Book online |
ENDS