Richard Kind admits The Producers humour ‘wouldn’t fly today’
Richard Kind knows exactly what kind of comedy The Producers trades in — and he’s under no illusion about how it might be received if it debuted today.
The actor returns to the West End this spring to play Max Bialystock at the Garrick Theatre, revisiting a role he first took on more than 20 years ago after Nathan Lane.
It marks a full-circle moment in a long, legendary stage career, but also a chance to see how one of comedy’s most outrageous shows lands with a modern audience.
‘Funny is funny,’ he says. ‘But some of the funny that we have in the show, if it were not couched in the production it is, would be called wrong, and people wouldn’t like it.’
Created by Mel Brooks, the musical has always thrived on pushing boundaries, from its central scam plot to the deliberately shocking fictional number Springtime for Hitler.
Kind is very aware that tastes have changed, and if it weren’t for the nostalgia surrounding the musical, he doesn’t think it would get produced.
‘Out of context, people might be insulted,’ he says. ‘But in the whole of the show, it’s very funny.
That balance is especially clear in Max himself, a character driven by excess in every direction. His attitude towards Ulla, the show’s Swedish ingénue, is one example that might raise eyebrows now.
‘My relationship with Ulla is one of only a sex object — that’s how it was written,’ Kind says. ‘If you were to write that today, no, no, no! But that’s who Max is. He has appetites for everything, money, success, women, all of it.’
Even so, he doesn’t believe the laughs have disappeared. They simply land in a new way, shaped by the specific audience before them each night.
This London revival also changes the dynamic in ways he hadn’t expected. Earlier productions leaned into spectacle, with huge sets and a sense of scale that matched the show’s outrageous tone. This version is far more intimate.
‘There’s no scenery,’ he says, still amused by the idea. ‘I always thought of it as big and gaudy. Now you look down and there’s a face looking back at you.’
Performing in a 700-seat theatre instead of the vast spaces he’s played before, including the Hollywood Bowl, has altered the rhythm of the performance.
The character remains the same at his core, he says, but this Max is a challege because he’s scaled back, allowing the actor to discover new layers.
Kind is also open about the shadow cast by Nathan Lane, who originated the role on Broadway and remains closely associated with it.
‘I think Nathan is a genius,’ he says. ‘He’s facile and funny and a great actor.’
Their interpretations, he explains, come from different traditions. Lane’s performance had a lightness and speed, while Kind draws on a broader, more old-school comic influence.
‘He glides,’ he says. ‘My take is just different.’
Kind also acknowledges that conversations around comedy have shifted since he was first in this show 20 years ago. He brings up Blazing Saddles as a familiar example of something audiences still watch and laugh at, even if its tone belongs to another era.
‘My kids won’t watch it and laugh,’ he says. ‘They don’t think it’s funny.’
That generational gap doesn’t trouble him. He is more interested in what happens in the room, in real time, when an audience meets the material as a whole.
Away from the stage, Kind has built a career across television and film, from Mad About You and Spin City to Only Murders in the Building, along with voice roles in Inside Out and A Bug’s Life. None of it quite replaces what he finds in theatre.
‘Theatre is my love,’ he says simply, when asked if he prefers theatre or screen acting.
What draws him back each year is the process as much as the performance. Rehearsal, with its arguments, ideas, and shared discoveries, is where he feels most at home for the larger than life actor.
The connection with a live audience comes later, bringing a kind of instant response that screen work can’t replicate.
‘I like instant gratification. That’s what it is.’ he says. ‘I’ll do it film and televsion because it’s my job and it pays a lot of money, but theatre is my love.’
Looking ahead, he sees that connection becoming even more valuable. As technology reshapes how people consume entertainment, he suspects audiences may start seeking out something more human.
‘I think people will want to see humans up close,’ he says. ‘They’ll want to watch something unfold in front of them.’
‘Yeah, I have a prayer. I have a theory that, which coincides with the prayer, that, because of AI, theater will become even more successful.’
That instinct extends to the business side of theatre too. Debates around stunt casting have become more prominent in recent years, but Kind is pragmatic about it.
‘Young people will clamor to see a famous guy, even if the show sucks, but it’ll have a good run. Business is business. They call it show business! It’s business. They should stunt cast! Get people in the seats. Okay? Bottom line, get people in the seats!’
He doesn’t see it as a threat to actors, but as part of how the industry works. Big names bring audiences, and audiences keep productions alive, even if they are reality stars.
He seems almost offended at the implication that a reality star or influencer would give a bad West End performance, saying in his characteristically animated way: ‘You can’t just paint with a broad brush like that!’
He continues: ‘We don’t know that every reality star is going to come unprepared! I bet they would be more prepared because they’re terrified.’
For now, he is focused on stepping back into Max Bialystock’s world, fully aware of its contradictions and excesses.
The humour may sit differently in 2026, but in the right setting, with the right audience, he believes it still works exactly as it should.
See Richard Kind return to the West End stage to star in the major revival of Mel Brooks’ hit musical comedy The Producers at the Garrick Theatre from March 23, for a strictly limited seven-week run.
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