Cast: Nathan Lane (Max Bialystock), Matthew Broderick (Leo Bloom), Uma Thurman (Ulla), Will Ferrell (Franz Liebkind)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Producers page.
Considering all the nominations it got for the Golden Globes, I was expecting more, in spite of reviews I'd read. I normally don't read reviews before seeing a movie, but since I'd seen this show 3 times already, I didn't think there was much it could ruin. I gave the movie, The Producers the benefit of the doubt, figuring most people who reviewed it poorly hadn't liked the movie either, so it wasn't a group who likes Broadway shows as much as I do, etc.
Unfortunately, seeing The Producers movie only made me confused by the Golden Globe nominations and upset that it made more money in movie theaters than Rent, which was a much better movie adaptation in my opinion. I'd read reviews that said they were surprised Rent won this year's war of the movie musicals by being better done, but I hadn't seen both, so I couldn't judge.
If you've seen The Producers on Broadway or tour and haven't seen Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, I highly recommend renting the movie so that you can see some of what they took to the stage. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't capture them as much as seeing them live does, though. So, if you saw Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick live in The Producers on Broadway, skip the movie. They didn't use the advantages film gave them. My guess is the main reason for this is that they used the same director (Susan Stroman) who directed the musical on stage when she hadn't directed a major motion picture before. I think if they'd chosen a movie director, the movie could have been much better.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2005, comedy, Matthew Broderick, movie, musical, Nathan Lane, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nathan Lane (Dionysos), Roger Bart (Xanthias)
For complete cast information, see IBDb's The Frogs page.
I had heard a lot about The Frogs before seeing it and none of it was good. Perhaps this is why I thought the show was okay. Not great, but Nathan Lane and Roger Bart worked so well together and they were hilarious. "Invocation and Instructions to the Audience" is one of the funniest songs Stephen Sondheim has ever written and he's written a lot of hilarious songs. "Invocation and Instructions to the Audience" has been used in quite a few Sondheim reviews and there is a reason for this. "I Love to Travel" is also a very funny song.
Although this is far from being one of Sondheim's best shows, I'm glad I got to see The Frogs with this amazing cast.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2004, Broadway, comedy, musical, Nathan Lane, original, Stephen Sondheim
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kate Bosworth (Rosalee Futch), Topher Grace (Pete Monash), Josh Duhamel (Tad Hamilton), Nathan Lane (Richard Levy the Driven), Sean Hayes (Richard Levy the Shameless)
For complete info, see IMDb's Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! page.
A small-town girl wins a date with a big celebrity trying to clean up his image. The date goes better than anyone anticipated and all of a sudden the celebrity is acting like a changed man. Of course, the girl's best friend has issues with this, since he's always had a crush on her... It's a chick flick and a bit sappy, but it's a cute movie. Worth seeing if the cute romantic comedy is your thing. I enjoy them for what they are - totally light afternoon fun. If you can do that, then you'll enjoy this. If a movie has to have more meaning for you, forget Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!.
The cast is really great. I adore Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes and seeing them work together was great. They're such great comic actors!
Grade: B
Labels: 2004, comedy, Josh Duhamel, Kate Bosworth, movie, Nathan Lane, romance, Topher Grace
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:25 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Mike Myers (Austin Powers/Dr. Evil/Goldmember/Fat Bastard), Beyonce Knowles (Foxxy Cleopatra), Seth Green (Scott Evil), Michael York (Basil Esposition)
For complete info, see IMDb's Austin Powers in Goldmember page.
I think this might be my favorite of the Austin Powers trilogy. I enjoy Mike Myers' humor and the fact that Nathan Lane was in this one definitely made me more interested. As usual, they went a bit too far over the top in a scene or two, but nothing that can't be overlooked. They definitely appeal to the lower end of the spectrum in comedy as much as possible and if that's what it takes to sell the movie, I'm okay with it.
This psuedo-spy adventure is very enjoyable. Don't let the fact that it's the third Austin Powers movie keep you from seeing it. I definitely think you should rent it if you haven't had a chance to check it out yet.
Grade: B
Labels: 2002, action, adventure, comedy, movie, musical, Nathan Lane
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:10 PM show | 0 screams
Note: I actually saw The Producers twice on Broadway the same week (once on Wednesday, October 17th, and once on Sunday, October 21st - both matinees). The first time I saw it, Brad Oscar (Nathan Lane's understudy for Max) played Max, the second time I saw it with the complete OBC.
Cast: Nathan Lane (Max Bialystock), Matthew Broderick (Leo Bloom), Brad Oscar (Max Bialystock & Franz Liebkind), Roger Bart (Carmen Ghia), Gary Beach (Roger De Bris), Cady Huffman (Ulla)
Complete cast information is on the IBDb The Producers page.
What a show! I had never seen the movie, so I had really no idea of the story before seeing the musical. I laughed so hard in the first number, I thought I might cry. I was very disappointed the first time I got a ticket after waiting from 6 AM or so in the morning that Nathan Lane would not be appearing that day. Of course, had he been in the show, I wouldn't have even gotten an SRO ticket, so that was good news. I took the ticket, since I didn't know how long Nathan Lane would be sick and I still wanted to see the show. I also didn't know if I would be lucky enough to get a ticket when I returned on Sunday.
Everyone in the cast was amazing. Brad Oscar did a wonderful job as Max, which is really incredible considering that Nathan Lane is so well known for the part already.
Of course, Nathan Lane (the main reason I wanted to see The Producers with the OBC), impressed me more than anyone in the cast. I had wanted to see Nathan Lane live for years, but living on the other side of the country made it a lot more difficult than I would have liked. Hopefully, that will change in the future, since annual trips back to NYC and Broadway seem like they'll be easier to make now.
The Producers is a fun Mel Brooks musical. Whether you enjoyed the movie or had never heard of it until the musical came out, I think you'll have fun at this show. With this cast, it's beyond amazing and when this cast leaves, it is still an enjoyable show.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2001, Best Musical, Broadway, comedy, Matthew Broderick, musical, Nathan Lane, original
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nathan Lane (Ernest "Ernie" Smuntz), Lee Evans (Lars Smuntz), Vicki Lewis (April Smuntz)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's MouseHunt page.
Nathan Lane has been one of my favorite actors for years! I've loved him in so many musicals on Broadway (though I have yet to see him in one live - someday...). I was happy about being able to see him in another movie. The plot sounded a bit like Home Alone with a mouse instead of a child and no burglars, but I still thought it'd be funny with Nathan Lane and the rest of the cast.
Guess I was wrong. As much as I love Nathan Lane, he couldn't save this movie. The script was bad and there was just nothing that could be done about that.
Kids would probably enjoy this movie, since parts of it are very silly, but unless you have kids who might like this, stay away!
Grade: C
Labels: 1997, comedy, family, movie, Nathan Lane
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:55 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Robin Williams (Armand Goldman), Nathan Lane (Albert Goldman), Gene Hackman (Sen. Kevin Keeley), Dianne Wiest (Louise Keely), Dan Futterman (Val Goldman), Calista Flockhart (Barbara Keeley), Hank Azaria (Agador)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Birdcage page.
I know that many who saw the original movie (which I didn't) think this doesn't live up to it and I understand people being upset due to the extreme stereotypes portrayed in The Birdcage. That being said, I really enjoyed it. It's always great to see Nathan Lane and I'm a huge fan of Robin Williams, too. The rest of the cast is amazing, too. I think that the presentation of the story in this version was very well done.
Besides, how can you not love the scene where Armand is giving stage direction to Albert? I mean, this is wonderful! ".... Or Madonna, Madonna, Madonna!... but you keep it all inside." Hilarious stuff! And the struggle going on in their family as Val prepares to wed is not unlike one many families face when the children want the parents to fit in more (in any capacity).
Grade: B
Labels: 1996, comedy, Dan Futterman, drama, movie, musical, Nathan Lane, Robin Williams
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:40 PM show | 0 screams