‘Producers’ Comes to Pali

By MATTHEW MEYER | Reporter

The theatrical season at Palisades Charter High School will get off to a boisterous start next month when the school’s fall musical, “The Producers,” debuts on Oct. 5.

It’s a rollicking, larger-than-life classic that will demand the kind of talented student-actors, musicians, dancers and technicians that shined in last year’s Pali High musicals, which ranged from heart-wrenching (“Spring Awakening”) to silly and absurd (“Spamalot”).

“Producers” largely falls into the latter category: It’s filled to the brim with over-the-top accents and hilarious caricatures of Nazis and flamboyant show business-types.

But director Nancy Fracchiolla told the Palisadian-Post that her students are also savoring the musical’s satirical edge.

Mel Brooks originally adapted the story for Broadway from his 1967 film of the same name.

“Having served in World War II and having dealt with anti-semitism all his life,” Fracchiolla said, “Producers” was Brooks’ chance to “get on his soapbox and speak out about Hitler.”

It tells the tale of the fiery Broadway impresario Max Bialystock and his repressed accountant Leopold “Leo” Bloom, who team up in a scheme to get rich by producing a play that’s bound to flop and then making away with their investors’ money.

Their tasteless production, “Springtime for Hitler,” ends up being a hit.

Pali High theater veterans Ethan Jones and Charlie Hobert will bring the colorful odd couple to life.

Members of both the school’s marching band and orchestra will provide the score under the musical direction of Elizabeth Stoyanovich.

And set designers and choreographers were already hard at work over the summer, ensuring that the chaotic spectacle of “Producers” comes together with all the fun and flair of its beloved Broadway roots.

Performances are on Oct. 5, 8 and 12 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 7, 13 and 14 at 8 p.m.

A special “Football Fest Matinee” production will be held at 4 p.m. before Pali High’s home game against Hamilton High School on Oct. 6, with $5 tickets for students.