to those of you out there who have nothing to do and are thinking of seeing a movie, go watch The Producers!! it's funny, it's whacky, it's got great dancing and singing, and best of all it's got this man:





yes, mr matthew broderick, the oh-so-sweet-and-charming guy who can sing and dance. whoot. he played leo bloom in both the broadway and film versions of the show, and he is just -fantastic-. i mean, just look at that smile!! *gushes* couple him with nathan lane and you understand why The Producers was such a hit. gosh, i should have watched them on west end last summer! heh.

the movie was great. we laughed and laughed and laughed. the music was fast and cheerful and it's all familiar broadway with tap dancing sequences and big music. nathan lane is max bialystock, the broadway producer who's desperate to see some kaching soon. matthew broderick is a young, nervous accountant who gives him the idea of making a flop to earn big bucks. una thurman plays the pretty swedish bombshell who is their lead actress in "springtime with hitler" and will ferrell plays franz liebkind, the ex-nazi guy who wrote the "worst" play. and surprise surprise, roger bart, the crazy pharmacist from "desperate housewives" is carmen ghia, the gay and hilarious sidekick to the worst director. fantastic cast and great singing from hollywood likes of thurman and ferrell. a million times better than the cringe-worthy phantom of the opera, which supposedly starred unknown "singers".

but boy oh boy, matthew broderick is sehr gut! we've all heard him on lion king and other movies, but to see him do a musical is just phenomenal. he'll be the reason why i buy the dvd with extra footage and interviews and shots of the rehearsals. *swoons*

i now understand what they mean by the stage can never be fully translated on screen. while film might be an excellent medium to work with, nothing can match the 'live' performances of the actors on stage, and the energy that fills the hall when the show is on. after some of the numbers i really wanted to cheer and clap, but of course that would have been silly, but watching it on screen, i could still imagine them on stage doing their thing. nathan lane once said on jay leno that on encountering the occassional unresponsive audiences, he would actually ask the audience to clap! oh the joy of performing on stage.

now my goal is to hunt down a copy of the original broadway recording, and sit at home and wait...