More Reviews Are In For The Producers

Now that the “brand new” dust has settled a bit from opening night of “The Producers” at Paris Las Vegas last Friday, I’ve spied a few more reviews online that I thought worth noting.

These ones seem less glowing than the ones I mentioned earlier this week, but are still, for the most part, positive.

Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review-Journal seems to like the show, but not love it.

“Putting David Hasselhoff into “The Producers” was inspired lunacy worthy of the title’s own plot. It makes absolutely no sense, but you can’t pull your eyes away.

The other idea worthy of Max Bialystock, the show’s shifty main character, was to chop this Las Vegas edition of Mel Brooks’ hit “The Producers” down to 90 minutes. That one’s not so lovable.

If the Paris Las Vegas version is your first time to see the show, the second half may not feel as much like you’re hitting “forward” on your DVD remote.

But in the past six years, the Broadway smash has become so familiar (a few people even caught the 2005 movie adaptation) that it’s hard to deny the obvious: Important parts are missing.”

You can read his full review at ‘THE PRODUCERS’: Show pleasing if fleeting.

TheaterMania.com was even less kind with their review of the show:

“Physical similarities aside, the show is almost a different animal than the Broadway version. It has been cut from its normal running time of two hours and 40 minutes to a Vegas-friendly 90 minutes, and some odd choices were made in the editing process.

One of the most glaring cuts is that of the charming song and dance duet “That Face.” Now, Leo — who was terrified of women — is suddenly dating his bombshell Swedish secretary with no explanation whatsoever.

Apparently, one of the reasons why many of the other characters’ songs were cut was to ensure that David Hasselhoff, in the role of the flamboyantly gay director Roger DeBris, would get as much stage time as possible. It’s too bad that Hasselhoff can’t pull off the role.”

You can read the site’s full review by Christine Westley online at TheaterMania.com.

Fletch, of AOL’s Dry Heat blog, liked it, though. So much that he calls it “Hoff-tastic.”

“Once the show starts, all of the pieces fit into place and that frenetic charm carries through.

At one hour and 40 minutes, give or take, ‘The Producers’ is a perfect show to see while on a Vegas vacation.”

You can read the rest of his opening night review at his blog.

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How about you? Have you had the chance to see the show yet? Write us a short review or drop us a note in comments with a link to a review you’ve posted at your blog, and we’ll post what we can.

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When: ongoing
Where: Paris Las Vegas
Time: 8:00 p.m. (Sun – Tues and Thurs – Sat); additional 2:00 p.m. show on Sunday only; dark on Wednesdays.
Cost: $75.50 – $143.50

Paris Las Vegas
3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas NV 89109
702.946.7000
888.727.4758

To purchase tickets for “The Producers” online or for more information, please visit parislasvegas.com.