Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...This won't come as a total surprise to anyone who saw his Patsy in "Spamalot." Crowle, whose talents are insufficiently praised on a national stage, just layers in more precise observational beats than any of the other actors. He's out there — for like his creator Brooks, Leo Bloom is out there — but he's also real and vulnerable. Crowle's secret is his level of detail — one hilarious take after another. I cracked up all night at the Mercury Theatre on Thursday just watching what he was doing. His very generous co-star, the old pro Bill Larkin, who plays Max, knows very well that part of his job is to tee up Crowle. Tee him up he does. And it's one hole-in-one after another, as Lick Me-Bite Me might say."
Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Now, director L. Walter Stearns has staged a revival of the musical in the intimate confines of Mercury Theater Chicago. There is one major reason to catch this production, and his name is Matthew Crowle. In the role of Leo Bloom, the hapless, quintessentially nerdy accountant who discovers a whole new life after revealing an intriguing tax loophole to Max Bialystock (Bill Larkin), the veteran, down-on-his-luck Broadway producer, Crowle uses his brilliant comedic skills to perfection."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Instead, Stearns packs his cast with capable performers who have their own takes on Brooks's characters. Most notably, Bill Larkin and Matt Crowle remake the show's leads (a crooked producer and his timid accountant) in their own image, finding new laughs in the old material while making their partnership seem less contrived. Likewise, Allison Sill transforms the stereotypically sexist role of a curvy Swedish secretary into something real, believable, and not so very sexist at all."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...In the second act Brooks and Meehan are smart enough to wax sentimental and make clear what’s really at stake. And it’s not whether unscrupulous impresarios can make it rich by cooking the books and collecting more investments than a flop show will ever to pay off to little old ladies or the IRS. No, it’s the strangely symbiotic partnership between Larkin’s mad Max, hitherto enterprising but empty, and his surrogate son and unlikely friend Leo. Amid all the pell-mell pratfalls, double takes, punch lines, and zinger wisecracks with pauses for guffaws, rubber-faced Larkin and deer-in-the-headlights Crowle miss no opportunity to craft this bond and make it matter. These grifters really are good for each other."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...For a show that has non-stop laughs, get to the Mercury Theater to see the two funniest players in Chicago: Bill Larkin and Matt Crowle as they manically lead the laughs in The Producers. You’ll have a good time!"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...I must say that the current production at The Mercury, Mel Brooks massive hit, “The Producers” truly shows the stuff that Walter and his team are made of. This is to date the best show they have produced! If you are a lover of the comedy of Brooks, and you loved the original movie, there is no doubt in my mind that you will fall in love with this production. “The Producers” with a book by Brooks along with famed Broadway writer, Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Brooks this is the motion picture turned into a musical and is probably the greatest “escape” show one can see. You will forget any problems during this one!"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...t would be difficult to replicate the polish and splendor of the original Broadway production, but L. Walter Stearns has cast and directed a flashy, resplendently produced, funny and honest version of Mel Brooks’ musical satire. Filled with clever dialogue, unrestrained profanity, politically incorrect plot points, titillating characters, adult humor, catchy songs and snappy choreography, all performed by a terrifically talented cast, Mercury Theater’s latest offering is a winner. This production is undeniably a most welcome return of the King…the King of Broadway."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...The Mercury revival validates “The Producers” as one of the great musicals in the American theater, far more than just a collection of Mel Brooks ethnic verbal and musical wisecracks and one-liners. Brooks is responsible for the music and lyrics and co-authored the book, as well as the script of the movie. Enhancing the brilliance of the show is the breakout performance by Bill Larkin. For all this comic bounty audiences should give much thanks."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...The irreverence keeps on coming in big dazzling piles of moxie. The most outrageous spectacle is the showpiece showstopper from the musical within the musical, Springtime for Hitler. Choreographer Brigitte Ditmars combines Nazi marching and energetic dance moves for a fantastic Führer folly. The costumes, playfully riddled withe pretzels, beer and sausages, visually clash with somber military garb. It all works together for this sparkling Hitler roast."
Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended
"...The Producers may well be the out-and-out funniest musical ever - and in my memory it is the first and last to even try to be that since 1962's Forum. If this production doesn't entirely match the original in mirth, it beats it hands down in musical performance, thanks to the strong vocals and solid accompaniment from Eugene Dizon's band. Let's hope it's a model for other Chicago comedy types to follow Larkin into the world of scripted theater. We can all use the laughs!"
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...his production of The Producers is all it should be. Indeed, Chicagoland patrons should make plans now for a fabulous Lakeview afternoon or evening’s entertainment at the coolest neighborhood theatre venue in town."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...It's difficult to pinpoint my favorite part of Mercury Theater's production of The Producers. From a pitch perfect portrayal of a flamboyant Hitler complete with a bedazzled swastika, to the emotional breakdown of an aspiring producer who misses his blanket, this musical is a good time. Director L. Walter Stearns and his cast of wildly talented actors succeed in putting on a Broadway-caliber play in a way-off-Broadway theater."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...“Reviews come out a lot faster if the critics leave at intermission,” gripes Bialystock in Act One. This one cheered and wept, became a dangerously obsessed stalker of Ulla (Allison Sill), a Swedish Marilyn Monroe/Betty Boop hybrid with a voice of a trombone, and dirty old maiden/showgirl Leah Morrow and was finally dragged off singing “Springtime for Hitler” loudly down the street on Pesach."