By David Vitrano
L’Observateur

RESERVE – Anyone popping into St. John Theatre this week is in for a curious sight as Nazis, accountants, old ladies and show girls mingle on the streets of New York, but it is all just a part of the zaniness of “The Producers,” the theater’s latest offering, which opens Friday.
The show, a musical based on the Mel Brooks film of the same name, concerns a morally-challenged producer named Max Bialystock who convinces straight-laced accountant Leo Bloom to help him produce a monumental Broadway flop so the two of them can abscond with the investment money. It stars St. John Theatre veterans Sean Roussel and Lance Ural in the roles made famous on the Great White Way by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
The show in many ways has pushed the community theater farther than it has ever gone before.
“This was a monumental task,” said director Darryl Clement. “But we’re making it slowly but surely.”
The production is big in almost every sense of the word. With numerous sets and multiple costume changes as well as showstopper after showstopper, putting on the show has been a challenge but one that will hopefully pay off for the audience.
“Mel Brooks is nuts,” said Clement. “He had never written a Broadway show before. It’s production number after production number.”
Besides being endlessly entertaining, the show represents another step into the world of modern theater for a stage known for more traditional productions.
“Broadway has become the Broadway of Mel Brooks,” said Clement. “When we were growing up, we knew ‘The Music Man,’ but these kids are growing up with ‘Wicked.’”
And much like “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” which graced the stage at St. John Theatre a couple of seasons ago, “The Producers” contains its fair share of adult-oriented humor. Clement said he chose to remove the “F-bombs” from the show but pretty much left everything else in.
“This is in your face,” he said.
He said that while most of the humor would not shock your average middle-schooler, parents should think twice before bringing very young children to the show.
“You’ve got to know your children,” he said.
But that mild disclaimer should not discourage anyone else from seeing the show, as Clement promises a night to remember.
“It is absolutely the funniest thing we’ve ever done,” he said. “I think people will absolutely laugh the entire night.”
“The Producers” opens Friday and continues its run on July 20 and 24-27 with shows at 7:30 p.m. There is also a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday, July 21. Tickets are available at Allied Express in LaPlace and at the theater box office approximately one hour before show time. For more information, visit www.stjohntheatre.org.