All eyes this season are on the new musical comprised of not so new parts. Most, but not all, of the songs are new. And the story is fundamentally the same as Mel Brooks’ classic 1968 film. But let me tell you: It’s funny! Almost an hour and one-half into the first act, I thought it had been only 40 minutes. And when I sensed it was going to end, I didn’t want it to be over.

The running gag in the story is about a larger-than-life, down-on-his-luck Broadway producer (Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock) who decides to raise the more money than he needs to put on a new show. The problem, as his soon-to-be partner, the melba-milquetoast accountant (Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom), points out, is that if you’re a hit, you have to pay out the profits to more people. No matter. Max has the answer: Produce a sure-fire flop, and no one will ever know that you walked away with the extra cash. What happens is, of course, is legend. The guaranteed flop turns out to be a hit and Max and Leo are in a heap of trouble.

Sounds simple, but it’s enormously funny. Even the character names are good for a laugh: Roger Debris as the flamboyant director and Carmen Ghia as his common-law assistant. Everyone is at the top of their form. Susan Stroman’s choreography fits every moment just right. Nathan Lane has found a role oversized enough for his talent. Matthew Broderick dances nimbly and seems much more comfortable than in How To Succeed in Business…. Cady Huffman, first lighting up the Broadway stage in The Will Rogers Follies, is scintillating. Roger Bart (Snoopy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) and Gary Beach (Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast) are hilarious. Sets, costumes, sight-gags (would you believe dancing pigeons?) – all add up to a funfest.

The Producers is not for the faint of heart. This is the most politically incorrect show on Broadway. But it would be a shame for young adults to miss a perfectly produced musical because, shall we say, it’s a little bold.

Recommended for 12 and up. .

George A. Wachtel is President of Audience Research & Analysis, a market research firm in New York City which specializes in live, film and visual arts research. He has been taking his daughter, Amanda, to Broadway shows since age two-and-a-half.