"The Producers," the Mel Brooks movie that became a play that became a movie, opened Thursday night at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater. Its the story of two guys who convince a large group of backers to invest in their Broadway show. After you see the local performance, it will be easy to understand why anyone would be willing to invest cash in a theater production. You'll be moved to hand over a few more bucks to see it again before it ends its run Nov. 9.

As it was in the movie, play, movie, the local stage production of "The Producers" is an over-the-top funfest. There aren't many shows that actually encourage the players to be as big and broad as possible. Brooks' script takes every character - whether they be Swedish or German - and amps them up to be like a cartoon character.

But that is the kind of energy needed for dinner theater. And the small cast of this local production showed enough energy to power perpetual laughter from opening number to closing tune.

Central to this zealous approach to theater are Max Bialystoick and Leo Bloom. Max, played with dead-on accuracy by Darren Tharp, is a Broadway producer who has hit hard times. The recent plays he has financed, with money from gray-haired female backers, have been flops.

Enter Leo Bloom (played by Peter Allwine). Leo is an accountant who accidentally comes up with a scheme that could net them millions. All a producer would have to do is raise more money than needed for a show. Then when it flops, the producer could pocket the leftover bucks.

This sets in motion efforts by Bialystoick and Bloom (best said with a Swedish accent) to put on a sure fire flop.

All of this should be familiar to those of you who saw the movie, play, movie. And the performance by Tharp should also seem familiar. He seems to be channeling Nathan Lane, who did both the Broadway and latest film versions. Normally, this would not be a good thing. But "The Producers" has become such a familiar show through all of its incarnations the actors are given little wiggle room in creating their characters.

Tharp's performance resonates of Lane. But his enthusiastic assault of the role gives it a freshness. In a musical that is loaded with scene stealers, Tharp always keeps the focus on Max.

Allwine has the unenviable job of playing the lone straightman in the production. He takes advantage of his one big chance to shine with the number "I Want to Be a Producer." But generally he has to stand aside while the production's more outlandish characters shine. He also faces the same problem Matthew Broderick faced when he played the role on Broadway and in the most recent film. The character was originated by Gene Wilder. And NO ONE can go from sanity to frantic as quickly as Wilder. Find that ability and there will be a few more scenes to steal.

Kim Henderson takes on the role of the Swedish bombshell Ulla. She definitely has the ... uh ... assets to play the role. Henderson glides around the stage as if it was coated with ice. One of the glitches of opening night was that her microphone never seemed to be set to the right level. So at times she sounded like she was singing in a phone booth and at other times her voice was thin. It is a glitch that can easily be fixed.

Steve Souza and Scott Hancock make the most of their outlandish roles as director Roger DeBris and his assistant Carmen Ghia. They are having so much fun with the roles it is impossible not to like them.

But the real surprise is John Masier as Franz Leibkind, the writer of the potential Broadway stinker "Springtime for Hitler." This is the one role that seemed to flounder in the film version. But Liebkind finds the fine line between farce and fanatic that makes this character one of the show's big surprises

One of the most amazing things about the production is how much is done with a small cast and a stage, that by most definitions isn't big enough to be called a podium. The abilities of the supporting players to take on so many different roles makes this production seem like it has a cast of hundreds. And the technical crew created a set that was functional and fun despite unbelievable limitations.

The opening night was not without its glitches. A few of the lighting cues were missed. One of the dancers in the "Springtime for Hitler" number fell like Poland. And there were the sound problems. But these are minor things that can be fixed with ease.

It would certainly be criminal not to mention the costumes. I have seen professional touring companies who looked like beggars compared to the work done for "The Producers." While the wardrobing was amazing, one little thing jumped out. In one scene, Franz makes Max and Leo put Nazi arm bands on their left arms. But in the next scene, that is supposed to be only moments later, the arm bands are on the right arms. It just seemed odd.

You know a production is first rate when you have to get to the placement of arm bands to find fault. Overall, "The Producers" is a fun night at the theater. It is actually fun enough for multiple nights..