Did "THE PRODUCERS" Deserve the Tony's?- Page 5

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 10/21/09 at 2:20pm

Little late for throwing my two cents in, but, IMO:

1. The Producers was a vastly entertaining musical with the original cast. I think some people lost their critical faculties in claiming it as the greatest musical, blah, blah.
2. No subsequent lead casting ever matched up to the original. If you think back to the 1960's, Carol Channing was very much a reason for Hello, Dolly's original success. However, it continued to do good business when subsequent performers assumed the role, and then when Pearl Bailey and later Ethel Merman took over, it bounced back to being a sellout. My point here is that was a strong enough show on its own merits to have a strong following. This did not seem to be the case with The Producers.
3. The Full Monty was by no means a perfect show, but it was good and certainly Tony-worthy in several categories (Featured Actress, Score, Choreography). I think it's certainly worthy of revival, whereas I'm not so sure about The Producers unless they harnass Lane and Broderick to do it again (which I doubt will ever happen).
4. Again citing Hello, Dolly, I think something similar happened with it and Funny Girl. Styne's score for FG was his second-best, IMO, (topped only by Gypsy). Yes, Dolly has that fantastic title song that ALWAYS brings the house down. The rest of the score is pleasant enough, but not as consistently good as Funny Girl's.

In the final analysis, IMO, The Producers was a fun show, but not one that I'd particularly want to see again. For feel-good shows done over the past decade, I'd give that honor to Hairspray, which I suspect will have a long life in summer and regional theatres.

One other niggling point. The Producers opened four months before September 11th, so I don't think it can be cited as a factor in helping the country recover from the shock of that event.

Updated On: 10/21/09 at 02:20 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/21/09 at 3:25pm

THE PRODUCERS deserved the Tonys. For multiple reasons. Seeing the original cast is something I'll NEVER forget. I honestly can't remember ever laughing harder in a theater. It's one of the funniest and most ridiculously enjoyable musicals of all time, if you ask me. Not one of the best, but one of the most sublimely and endlessly entertaining. Especially with that original cast which was, let's face it, flawless.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 10/21/09 at 3:44pm

Nope. Cady Huffman's win - what a joke.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/21/09 at 4:20pm

I wish I had seen whatever it was WiCkEDOcKs saw. Oh wait, I did! But back then, it was called Urinetown.