I attended this play with no expectations, only the buzz that had been circulating campus hinted at how good it was meant to be. Due to my cluelessness, I cannot begin to explain how much I adored it and wanted to watch it all over again once it had finished!
The play tells the tale of the Max Bialystock’s latest play opening and closing after one performance. He enlists the help of his shy and nervous accountant, Leo Bloom, who has always dreamed of becoming a producer. They dream up the ultimate scheme of putting on a play so terrible it will flop after the opening night, and they can run away with the two million pounds without the IRS knowing it was a deliberate fail. The play shows the results and repercussions of Max and Leo’s plan.
I’ll begin with the fantastic ensemble cast, whose singing and dancing was flawless and showed off a vast amount of enthusiasm and talent due to the different dance styles, such as tap and ballet. Their singing never faltered despite some of the demanding dance routines and their ability to portray an array of different characters was extremely impressive.
The two main characters, Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom (played by Will Poyser and Matt Hayden) were a credit to the play. They bounced off one another and helped to exaggerate the opposing characters they were portraying. Furthermore, their American accents were brilliant, which they managed to carry off the entire play (bar Will Poyser’s hilariously timed interval mid-song to have some water and catch his breath. While greeting the audience in his unexpected English accent).
I had two personal highlights that had me in fits of laughter; Franz Liebkind’s song Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop and the wonderfully flamboyant characters Roger Di Bris and Carmen Ghia. Franz Liebkind, played by Tom Ling, is the writer of the terrible play, ‘Springtime for Hitler’. His insistence on Max and Leo joining him in the humorous song results in a brilliant routine. The relationship between Roger Di Bris and Carmen Ghia, played by Jake Dorrell and James Kitching, made for scintillating viewing; myself and the audience couldn’t contain our laughter every time they appeared on stage with their over the top camp acting and dazzling makeup and costumes. I’d like to add that Roger Di Bris’ portrayal of Hitler was so entertaining that I will never be able to view Hitler in the same way again!
The show is running from the 24th November to the 28th November in the Guild of Students Debating Hall, make sure you buy a ticket to go and see it or you will miss out on a memorable show!
[rating: 4]
