"The Producers"

Mom and I attended the Billings Studio Theater's presentation of "The Producers." Even though we'd seen the touring edition last winter @ the Alberta Bair, we wanted to see this with Pat Schindle as Max Biyalistock, and Vint Lavender as Roger DeBris.

Usually, the dancing and singing of local productions pale in comparison with the touring companies. We definitely liked the BST production BETTER than the touring company. We were not sure why, exactly. The theater is smaller, and the experience is more intimate than at ABT.

The dancing was good, but fewer dancers at BST, the stage is MUCH smaller. The singing was pretty good. It was just funnier to us, maybe because we've seen these actors in sooooo much. Kelly Martin was his rubber-faced hilarious self as Leo Bloom. He can walk across stage and get laughs. His son played Carmen Ghia, Roger's assistant. The nut doesn't fall far from the tree! He was very entertaining, too.

They just had so much energy and enthusiasm -- it's easier to feel inside BST, and I think that the locals just have more when they're perfoming in front of friends and relatives. A very enjoyable theater experience!