The King of Broadway?

Terry Teachout wrote a thought-provoking analysis of The Producers and its dismal box office performance. (For those of you who haven't been following, the New York Times ran an article last weekend on this same topic, which was followed by the announcement that Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick would be returning to the former Broadway hit on December 30th. The many producers of The Producers rejoiced, anticpating that $480 seats would sold like those proverbial hotcakes.)

Teachout blames the drop-off in attendance on the nature of Mel Brooks' borscht-belt humor, and he's mostly right - in the age of cartoon sex between Satan and Saddam Hussein, how shocking is a gay Hitler? However, he doesn't mention the weakness of the score or the lyrics, which to my mind remain the show's greatest liability. Brooks gets off a few good tunes, but I've only listened to this cast album twice, and I am a girl who likes her cast albums. The songs simply don't hold up off the stage. Combine the slight score with Brooks' old-timey jokes, and it's pretty obvious why audiences aren't flocking.

(At this point, I must confess that "Springtime for Hitler" makes me laugh every single time I think about it, but I was raised on shticky Hitler jokes. Please return to the rant.)

Producers producers: quit while you're ahead. Let Nathan and Matthew end the run on a glorious high note, and close the show. Its time has come...and gone.

By the by, Terry Teachout writes a kick-ass arts blog. He's well worth checking out. Reviews, opinions, and Edward Gorey limericks - who could ask for anything more?