Book Review: The Producers: The New Mel Brooks Musical

Overall Grade: B+


What Is It About: The Producers: The All New Mel Brooks Musical is a behind the scenes look at the Broadway smash musical and winner of 12 tony awards. Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, the writers of the musical have come together to write this look that gives you all the dirt of one of the most constroversal musicals of all time with interviews with the cast members, technical designers, and everyone else.


Chapter Listing:

1. Nervous Sunday
2. Geffen Calls
3. The Book
4. Searching For A Director
5. Bagel Mornings and Tunafish With Tomato On Rye Afternoons
6. A Go Show
7. Casting
8. Rehersals
9. The Very Windy City
10. Opening Night



Chapter Reviews:


Chapter 1: Chapter One takes place on April 9th, 2001...on other words opening night for the Producers. Yes, the book starts in the present, and then zooms back into when the plans for the show began to arise. This chapter is just piled together of what happened between 5:00 AM and 2:00 PM that day, and the preparations to open the show. It focuses mainly on Thomas and Mel, just because of the fact that the book doesn't want to give away spoliers as for the cast and unknown technical designers in the beginning. This chapter seemed a bit weak for my tastes and rushed, but is a good start to a book like this.


Chapter 2: Who is Geffen??? David Geffen is one of the most respective writers/producers in the media business. He's teamed up with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and other famous directions/writers. However, he was just about to meet a big jewish man by the name of Mel Brooks and give him a billion-dollar idea about turning an independant 1968 film about two producers who decide to put on a flop called Springtime For Hitler to claim millions of dollars in earnings...into a Broadway musical. This really is a very interesting chapter for Mel. Mel fights with Geffen, and then becomes friends, and on like that.


Chapter 3: "The Book" is only one page long, and doesn't really amount to anything. It focuses on the relationship with Mel and Thomas while writing the script, but doesn't really get into what really went on. It basically contains some funny jewish jokes from Mel and remarks from Mel to Thomas. Sure it's funny, but this chapter could have been trashed.


Chapter 4: This chapter focuses on Susan Stroman's jump to The Producers as choreographer and director. Susan says meaningful words about showbiz which makes this chapter a lesson to Broadway-folks. It's almost as though Susan was writing this chapter, because it goes so deeply into the subject, but it's just the magic of Mel and Thomas up to their old tricks again.


Chapter 5: This chapter contains the longest name for a chapter in history, and most likely the strangest. This chapter focuses on Susan, Thomas, Mel, and piano-player Glen Kelly through their times of trying to write the play, and get the score going....and of course eating more bagels and cream cheese than Lender's could make in a lifetime. I loved this chapter. It's just so fun to read.



Chapter 6: This chapter deals with preparation for a winter stay at the Cadillac Theatre in Chicago. They have the technical team put out, and have their stars including Nathan Lane, Gary Beach, and Cady Huffman. However, this chapter also deals with letting people go. Two cast members are fired during this chaper, making it turn a bit more realistic and dramatic...but still in a funny way.


Chapter 7: This chapter first deals with the casting of Matthew Broderick, and then what occurs opening night in Chicago. Zany things happen, but all come out as a perfect result leading up to a perfect musical in their own opinions...the audience of course. This chapter really didn't thrill me on most levels. It didn't go into the Cadillac Theatre, the Broderick casting was rushed, and Mel is barely heard from here.


Chapter 8: This chapter is a bit overlonged, but still very fun to read. It deals with the rehersals of the show, and really plays around with the choreography by Stroman and how everthing just falls together well. This almost doesn't seem like writing...it puts you right into the picture.


Chapter 9: This chapter outs everything into perspective. It tells you about everything that they've done in small passages, and explains the trip from Chicago to NYC where the St James Theater has been waiting for their new musical in the form of Mel Brooks.


Chapter 10: Yes, it's April 19th, 2001, and The Producers is opening on Broadway. This chapter is excellent, focusing on everything that happened on opening night from how the ushers looked to how clean the stage floor was. This chapter was my 2nd favorite next to the Bagel one.



Following the chapters, there is the script of The Producers with color photos.



Price: It's a whopping $49.00. But hey...it's cheaper than a $100 to see the show as you have the script, and you get a heind the scenes look that the others didn't have!!!

Recommended: Yes