The Producers
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

IF A Broadway musical can become a box-office flop then, in an ingenious scam, its producers can make a mint. But you need the worst play ever written, the worst director to stage it and positively the worst cast to perform it.

A musical that has a camp Adolf Hitler leading a rag-tag band of gay nazi stormtroopers across Europe will surely fit the bill perfectly. You’d think so, but the world of showbiz is fickle. This is the scenario of Mel Brooks’s zany 1967 film The Producers which, at the time of its release, raised many laughs but also a few eyebrows.

There’s a fine line between satire and bad taste and Brooks’s film managed to stay firmly on the right side, his argument being that the best way to deal with despots is to ridicule them. The question is whether the world is very different 50 years on and will a modern audience see the funny side of the rise of the nazis?

The hoots of recognition, belly laughs and sheer joy running through the Royal Exchange audience quickly dispel any concern, mainly due to the excellent ensemble cast. With great gusto, they camp it up big style with plenty of toe-tapping, jazz hands and hilarious songs.

Holding things together is the wonderful Julius D’Silva as the sleazy producer Max Bialystock. Dripping with insincerity, there's nothing he will not do to ensure his musical bombs. Stuart Neal is a great foil for D’Silva as his nerdy accountant and sidekick Leo Bloom.

It's no mean feat delivering a Broadway musical in the round but Alistair David’s exuberant choreography and Ben Stones’s inventive set design give the production a magnificent expansive feel. The joyous atmosphere is enhanced by the hugely talented live orchestra.

The risks in Brooks’s work are never far away and it’s not just the nazi scenes that may be problematic. The voluptuous Swedish wannabe Ulla arrives at Bialystock’s office to audition for a part and there's something of an uncomfortable moment as she sings about flaunting her assets while he lasciviously perches on his casting couch.

The behaviour of predatory sleazeball producers is still very much a raw wound and the scene gives pause for thought, but, much to her credit, Emily-Mae's skilful performance as Ulla demonstrates in no uncertain terms who's in charge.

The Producers is Brooks’s love letter to the musical and this smashing production delivers a funny, crazy and madcap evening’s entertainment.

Runs until January 26, box office: royalexchange.co.uk.