The PRODUCERS
FCCJ Artist Series

Over the past 37 years the FCCJ Artist Series has brought dozens of major Broadway hits and other fine cultural programs and events to the city of Jacksonville. Recently, that tradition of high quality entertainment was more than surpassed when Mel Brook’s The Produces was presented in the Moran Theater of the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts as part of the "Broadway in Jacksonville" series.
This outstanding musical tells the story of how down and out Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Bob Amaral) and his neurotic accountant, Leo Bloom (Andy Taylor), discover that they can make millions of dollars if they over-sell shares to a play that bombs. Their real challenge comes in finding a work that is so universally offensive and distasteful that it’s sure to flop within days. Enter Teutonic playwright and pigeon keeper Franz Liebkind (Bill Nolte), who agrees to let them bring to the stage his homage piece- "SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER: A musical romp with Eva and Adolph at Berchesgarten." In addition, Bialystock hires the worst director in the city and arranges some of the most over-the-top choreography ever seen. The end result is misinterpreted by the audience as a satirical comedy and the play is a smash hit. This puts the two producers in a world of trouble and leaves them wondering, "Where did we go right?" I don’t want to risk diminishing anyone’s enjoyment at seeing The Producers for the first time, so I won’t say anything more about the storyline. I predict, though, that any performance of this play will receive the same rousing standing ovation that this one did.

I hope that the arts, in general, will grow and thrive in Jacksonville. But as the two of us sat, admiring the aesthetics of the beautiful Moran Theater, my friend made a comment that stuck in my mind. She said, "There are so many older (elderly) people here." To which I, somewhat sarcastically, replied, "Most of them are the donors and patrons that allow this to happen." I’m mentioning this because it makes a point about something that’s always bothered me. To wit:
For far too long now I’ve been hearing many younger adults (between the ages of 25 and 45) incessantly complaining that Jacksonville lacks any "artistic" culture. This is simply not the case. There are plenty of events, happenings, shows, and openings in this town, people just need to make themselves aware of them, and, more importantly, attend and support them. It’s amazing how many people have never seen a play and yet consider themselves cultured. To these types, I say this- Go buy a couple of balcony seats for one of the upcoming shows in the FCCJ Artist Series and treat yourself and a friend to a night at the theater. Better still, find out about any small local theater companies or playhouses and attend one of their performances. (The locations and schedules of these venues can be found by actually reading the copy of the Event Calendar that is probably sitting on your coffee table.) Or, a person could help out that ultimate bastion of local culture, 89.9 WJCT, otherwise known as Stereo 90, by sending in the minimum donation that gets the station’s program guide mailed to your house. I mean give me a break! For less that the cost of one night at a club (sometimes much less) a person can attend one of the plays in this series and/or make that donation. So come on, cough it up!

Otherwise, if you leave something up to everyone else to take care of, you will be unhappy with, and deserve, the end results. Trust me on that one. And besides, people like Jay Stein, and Edge City owners Tom and Gunnel, should no longer be expected to shoulder the burden of local culture that each of us shares.

by Will Bodo