Winning Lane

Since 25 October, I’ve been appearing seven times a week on stage, so getting to see anything has been extremely difficult. My last night is 15 January, so I’ll be able to resume my full reviewing duties after that, but in the meantime I thought I’d bring you up to date on the only three plays I’ve managed to see in the past 12 weeks.

I first saw The Producers in New York three years ago and hated it. The songs are mediocre, the plot is ludicrous and the jokes aren’t funny. I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, so I talked this over with some New York theatre buddies and they said the problem with The Producers is that it isn’t actor-proof. In the version I saw, Max Bialystock was played by Brad Oscar. They told me that if I ever got a chance to see Nathan Lane in the part I should take it.