Preview

Paper on the Producers

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
643 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Paper on the Producers
Hitler will run forever
“Springtime for Hitler” unveils unexpected masterpiece of irony

Twenty years after his defeat, Hitler rises from the grave and conquers New York City. He does so with un-fascist means: by bringing on stage at the Playtime Theater an army of burlesque dancers, a bouquet of profane jokes and a vessel of German cliches. From his rising to the end of the war, the Führer portrayed in Bialystok and Bloom’s production goes beyond any recognized definition of eccentric.

It is soon after the curtains open up that a black and grey background panel symbolizing German’s obscure reality gets lifted up, making room for the German utopia. Hitler’s rise is shown to be bringing to the country marching soldiers and a war, but more importantly Goddesses covered only in beer, pretzels, gold or military medals.
At that point, not many could have expected the play to turn out the way it did. After the first musical act of the play, it seemed nothing more than a joke pulled by some tacky director. It is not until a superbly effeminate dictator, played by debutant Lorenzo St. DuBois, takes the stage surrounded by flowers that the play reveals itself for what it really is. Whether he’s arguing with his mistress, improvising war plans on the piano or leading an orchestra of commanding officers - he is genuinely superb in all he does.
As the shows goes on, initial shock turns into hilarity and the tunes go from inconceivable to catchy.
The audience broke into even more laughter when the curtains were suddenly pulled down as the play was still going, and the author Franz Liebkind, staged realistic a cameo, interpreting a German nostalgic, struggling to defend the Führer’s reputation. A touch of genius.
An out of context set, staged by director Roger De Bris, with bright and warm colors, flowers and kitsch object succeed in making the irreverent characters stand out even more.

Despite the themes Springtime for Hitler deals with, another reason for

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Kristallnacht, 1938- Nazi's in Germany smash the windows of Jewish shops and set alight synagogues following the assassination of a German diplomat, Ernst Vom Rath. At the same time a Jewish mother and wife living in Brooklyn loses her ability to walk. I believe Arthur Miller uses the play to examine how situations, exploitation and her paralysed state to be a reflection of each other, with Sylvia Gellburg in her wheelchair representative of the paralysis felt by the Jewish community following this event. Phillip Gellburg also born into the Jewish religion would, you’d expect show compassion and sympathy to those affected. In my essay i will argue how instead Gellburg distances himself from the community as a whole revealing his Jewish heritage not to be something to honoured or respected but in fact a catalyst for his humiliation; In a similar way Sylvia is abashed by his response. It is easy to draw negative conclusions about Gellburg not only in the opening few pages but in the play as a whole not only by our response but due to the other character reactions to him. While we can draw independent conclusions about characters, our understanding through the perception of others such as Margaret Hyman describing him to be “a miserable pisser” and a “dictator” are highly persuasive.…

    • 1270 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the theater version of Cyrano de Bergerac, Director Robert Kelley faced several problems in thoughtfully expressing the theme of the play. Because the play involves a love triangle around three characters with different quality of appearance, one theme can be that appearance prevents one from realizing the true identity of a person. In a small theater, the director had to devise an efficient plan that successfully conveyed the theme with limited space and a few actors. The director also had to modify some scenes in order to fit the whole play in a short amount of time. Despite some miscasts in the actors, the director managed to emanate the meaning of the play through appropriate stage props and script.…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    R/G Questions Gg

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As you watch the movie and after you have read the play, think about and respond to the following questions. Type your responses on this document (a copy is on my teacherweb page).…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Firsty and lASt PapaSR

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    My overall reaction and view of the play is that I was very impressed. I have not seen a play with more action and liveliness with such a small group of roles in a rather long time. The connection between royalty, and a con man, as he slips into the cracks and seems of reality and an overall search of competence in a family setting is very intense in accordance to the time line set in the play. I felt like I was with the actors, on their spiritual journey, as they portray their roles so finely. I felt an extreme presence of finite maturity in the actors, and I feel as if that has a lasting impact, compared to mediocre actors, in which I’ve seen in this theatre before. The all black cast was so…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The St. Ambrose University’s rendition of Cabaret was definitely a play to be seen. Meant to be a informational and reflection all piece, Cabaret almost forces the audience to place themselves in the characters’ positions. Through the anger and violence, sexuality and promiscuity, and the Nazi’s search for Jews, this play is designed to shake the audience up and make them feel uncomfortable. Using metaphors and exaggerations, it tries to press the issues that are caused by people turning a blind eye to evil. With my prior knowledge of the Holocaust and Germany during this time, it is easy for me to say that I would not have conformed.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cabaret takes place in the years 1929 to 1930 Berlin before Hitler’s appointment as chancellor. The play follows Cliff Bradshaw, an aspiring American writer, and Sally Bowles, a performer at the Kit Kat Klub and their friends through the trying times before the Nazis. The story shows the struggles of those torn between what they want, and what is acceptable and how blind some were to the problems staring them right in the face. In the words of the emcee: “Leave your troubles outside! So-life is disappointing? Forget it! In here, life is beautiful-the girls are beautiful-even the orchestra is beautiful! Willkommen im Cabaret!” As the story unfolds, we see how this blindness affects those who…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    - In order to be first in delivering such play, the civic courage is necessary, - the writer says. - To lift the project without patronage of nouveau riches today when people save on water and electricity, it is a feat. Alexander Kaplan very creatively approached the setting of a performance and wasn't afraid to include very effective video frames in a performance. As a result even the specialists thinking that in theater similar show is unacceptable, admitted that the performance only benefited from it. You saw that the audience quits after a performance with tears in the eyes. It once again reminded them that life isn't infinite. The past passed, tomorrow is in fog, there is only today. When we understand it, we will live differently: more…

    • 133 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Famous Speech Critique

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In brainstorming ideas about what speech I could study in detail, I turned my attention to highly influential leaders in history. One of those people is Adolf Hitler. Even the greatest ideological enemies of Hitler can agree that he was an extremely gifted and prolific speaker. In “Triumph of the Will”, one of the most important films of documentation and propaganda which was directed by Leni Riefenstahl and sponsored by Hitler himself, many of Hitler’s speeches are shown. Not only can viewers study his style of speaking, but we can also learn much about his mannerisms—and in turn, the massive support he received as a leader.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Play Doubt

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    My first reaction to this play was restricted because of the lack of my open mindedness. This would happen to be my first and only play I have ever seen or even thought of seeing. I didn’t expect much but as it started it began to catch my attention and make me actually want to listen and take in the purpose and meaning of this particular act. Having not knowing what other plays are like, I thought this one was pretty cool because the stage was the center of attention with audiences on both sides. Overall I was very impressed on the actors’ performances. Father Flynn the supposed molester, Ms. Muller the mother of the young boy, the only African American boy in the school, Sister James the young teacher whom likes Father Flynn, and Sister Aloysius who thinks he’s a molester.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    War Film Genre

    • 1654 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Kaes, Anton. Shell Shock Cinema: Weimar Culture and the Wounds of War. Princeton: New Jersey, 2009.…

    • 1654 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fascism in Venice

    • 4197 Words
    • 17 Pages

    Reich, Jacqueline, and Piero Garofalo. Re-viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema, 1922-1943. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2002. Print.…

    • 4197 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hitlers Rise to Power

    • 1749 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The 30th of January, 1933 marks the day in which Germany and to a greater extent the world was rocked forever. Why? Because the leader of the Nazis, a nationalist and socialist party was signed in as the chancellor of Germany. His name, Adolf Hitler, has grown to be recognised as one of the most hated in history to this day. How did this malicious man grasp the power of Germany? It turns out that some of the causes sprouted from some of the darkest times in German history……

    • 1749 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bertolt Brecht Essay

    • 1625 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Brecht’s Epic Theatre techniques have remained popular for the last 60 years. Why are his plays still prevalent in the Performing Arts and how do twenty-first century audiences relate to Brechtian Techniques today? Discuss…

    • 1625 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Peerawas

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Joachim Fest said that the political maturity of the German people came only after the loss of their inner, spiritually romantic “interior”– the relic of feudalism that had not yet given way. This world of glorious Heroes and Grand Gestures which Wagner seeked to portray in music, and which Hitler forged a connection to largely through Wagner’s operas, apparently watching Siegfried 30 or more times. Ah, Heroic artwork.…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Elizabethan Poetry

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    | | |The play brought a new kind of life to the English theatre. |…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays