The beauty of the Hayes theatre, Sydney’s home for boutique musical theatre, is also its greatest challenge: the space is tiny. With Broadway-sized ambitions and a seating capacity of just 110, the works that flourish here are those that are adapted to a more intimate scale – keeping the razzle dazzle, but bringing the humanity of the actors to the fore. You can count every bead of sweat and read each face; you have to go deep as well as broad to really make a Hayes show sing.
The Producers, directed by Julia Robertson for Joshua Robson Productions (frequent Hayes collaborators), goes broad but not deep. The zingy Mel Brooks comedy follows Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Anton Berezin, blustering and bullish) fresh off a string of flops. When accountant Leo Bloom (Des Flanagan, charming and with a distinct hint of Matthew Broderick in his voice) shows up to take on the books, he muses that it would be easy to profit off a musical failure by overselling investments. This is music to Bialystock’s ears, and Bloom ends up as his partner in crime. They find what they’re sure is the worst show in the world (a fair bet, given it’s called Springtime for Hitler), and set out to make themselves a massive payday.
