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When producer Max Bialystock’s (Nathan Lane) latest play is smashed by the critics as well as the audience, he is in need of a plan that pays off big. When his accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) tells him that under the right circumstances ‘a producer could make more money with a flop than he could with a hit’, Bialystock is bound to try this theory out in practice. Bloom and Bialystock then begin their search for the worst play ever written and soon discover Franz Liebkind’s (Will Ferrell) Springtime for Hitler. After some unconventional negotiations with the playwright, the production of the play is given a go and ensues Bialystock raising money by wooing and bedding 85-year-old grandma’s, hiring a hot aspiring Swedish actress (Uma Thurman) as his secretary and casting the playwright himself as the one and only Adolf Hitler.

From the twisted mind of Mel Brooks comes this redo of the original 1968 movie and musical that is bound to ‘offend people of all races.’ Susan Stroman (yes there are female directors) helms this time around and brings us a hilarious adaptation with probably the most unconventional themes ever used in theatre and musical. The casting of Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman and the always side-splitting Will Ferrell (alright let’s erase Bewitched from our minds) was an act of genius. The songs and tunes could have been catchier but the lyrics more than make up for that. You should however be warned; if you don’t like the characters breaking out into songs every ten minutes or so go and watch something else. If however you are a Mel Brooks fan and like your musicals and can’t make it to New York or London’s West End where it is currently played on stage, you should definitely have a go even though it’s not yet springtime. Oh, and please leave your inhibitions at the popcorn stand.

A great product! (3 out of 4 broad ways)