The Producers is a critically acclaimed comedy-musical adapted by Mel Brooks from his 1968 film of the same name. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who
scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. Complications arise
when the show unexpectedly turns out to be successful. The humor of the show is accessible to a wide range of audiences, and
draws on ridiculous accents, caricatures of homosexuals and Nazis, and many show
business in-jokes. The musical was a hit in New York, spawning national tours and successful productions in
London and internationally.
David Geffen persuaded Mel Brooks to turn his movie into a stage musical. When Brooks
met with Jerry Herman to discuss their working together, Herman declined, telling Brooks
that he should do the job himself, as he was a good songwriter. Brooks then asked Thomas Meehan to join him in writing the book
for the stage. Brooks persuaded Mike Ockrent and his wife Susan Stroman to join the
creative team as director and choreographer. After Ockrent's death on December 6, 1999, Stroman agreed to continue as both
director and choreographer. The last addition to the creative team was Glen Kelly as the musical
arranger and supervisor. [1] [2]
A 2005 film was made based on the musical, starring Lane, Broderick and
Uma Thurman.
Plot summary
- Act I
New York, 1959. It's the opening of a new Max Bialystock play called "Funny Boy", a
musical version of Hamlet. Everyone ends up hating it and the show closes on opening night
("Opening Night"). Max, who was once called the King of Broadway, sings to a crowd of down-and-outs of his past achievements and
that he will return to form ("King of Broadway").
The next day Leo Bloom, a mousy PA from the accounting firm Whitehall and Marks, arrives in
Max's office to look at his books. However, a couple of seconds later, one of Max's "investors" arrives, and he tells Leo to go
wait in the bathroom until she leaves. His investor, a little old lady who constantly repeats the phrase, "Hold Me, Touch Me"
starts playing a sex game with Max (The virgin milkmaid and the well-hung stableboy) which he later pauses and she gives him a
cheque for his next play (which he hasn't yet produced and calls "Cash"). Leo comes out of the bathroom and reveals his lifelong
dream to Max: he's always wanted to be a Broadway Producer. After a serious panic attack when Max touches his blue blanket, Leo
calms down enough to give Max the news that he has found an accounting error in his books: Max raised $62,000 for "Funny Boy",
but the play only cost $60,000. There's $2,000 unaccounted for. Max begs Leo to cook the books. "Look at me", he pleads: once the
King of Broadway, now reduced to romancing little old ladies to back him and wearing cardboard belts. Leo reluctantly agrees and
returns to Max's books. After some calculations, he realizes that "under the right circumstances, a producer could actually make
more money with a flop than he can with a hit." Max sits up, an idea forming in his unscrupulous head.
Leo explains. The IRS isn't interested in a show that flopped, so a producer
could raise a million dollars, put on a $100,000 flop and keep the rest. Max proposes the ultimate scheme:
Step 1: We find the worst play ever written. Step 2: We hire the worst director in town. Step 3: We raise two million
dollars...One for me, one for you. There's a lot of little old ladies out there! Step 4: We hire the worst actors in New York and
open on Broadway and before you can say Step 5, we close on Broadway, take our two million and go to Rio.
However, Leo refuses to help Max with his scheme and returns to work the books at Whitehall and Marks, even after much
pleading ("We Can Do It"). When he gets back to work, he daydreams of becoming a Broadway producer and "driv[ing] those chorus
girls insane." ("I Wanna Be a Producer"). He realizes that his job is terrible, quits his job, and returns to Max ("I Wanna Be A
Producer Reprise/We Can Do It - Reprise"). Overnight, they look for the worst play ever written without much luck. Finally, Max
finds the sure-fire flop: Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva
at Berchtesgaden written by Franz Liebkind. Heading down to the playwright's home in
Greenwich Village to get the rights to the play, they discover ex-Nazi Franz on the roof of his tenement with his birds: Hilde,
Heidi, Hans, Heidrich and Adolf, reminiscing about the grand old days "In Old Bavaria". After listening to Franz rave, Leo and
Max are only able to get their contract signed after singing Adolf Hitler's favourite tune,
"Der Guten Tag Hop Clop" with him, and saying the Siegfried Oath, promising never to dishonour "the spirit and the memory of
Adolf Elizabeth Hitler" with Franz.
Leo and Max then go down to the townhouse of Roger De Bris, the worst director in New
York and a flamboyant homosexual to boot. At first, Roger and his "common law-assistant" Carmen Ghia decline the offer to
direct because of the serious subject matter. Shows should be more happy, blythe, bonney...gay, Roger avers. ("Keep It Gay")
Finally, after much persuading (and Tony-name dropping), Roger agrees to do it, but only if
the ending is changed so the Germans end up winning World War II. A celebratory
conga line ensues. Leo and Max finally return to the office where they meet a Swedish
bombshell who wants to audition for their next play. Her name is Ulla Inga Hansen Benson
Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson. That's her first name. Ulla for short. She auditions for them. ("When You Got It,
Flaunt It") Bialystock and Bloom are floored, to say the least. They hire her to be their secretary/receptionist. Max then goes
off to raise two million dollars for "Springtime for Hitler" by calling on all the little old ladies in New York. ("Along Came
Bialy") Finally, after shtupping every little old lady in the greater Broadway area, Max has
raised the two million. ("Finale")
- Act II
Leo and Ulla are left alone for a little while in Max's redecorated office (redecorated by Ulla during the intermission; See
Photo right) and they start to fall in love. ("That Face") Leo, who has always decided to stay away from any relationship, breaks
his own rule and starts to go out with Ulla.
The auditions for finding a terrible Hitler go unsuccessfully. One terrible actor after another is shooed away by Roger. After
Franz is outraged by one auditioner's rendition of "Haben Sie Gehört Das Deutsche Band", he performs his own jazzy version and he
is given the part by Max. Opening night for "Springtime for Hitler" arrives ("It's Bad Luck to Say Good Luck on Opening Night")
and everyone is ready, until Franz falls down the stairs and ironically breaks his leg. Roger is the only one who knows the part
of Hitler and he rushes to the dressing room to get ready.
The Curtain rises, and Max and Leo watch their failure unfold ("Springtime for Hitler"). Unfortunately, Roger's performance is
so campy and so Garland-esque, the audience mistakes the show for a comedy and it becomes
the talk of the town.
Back at the office, Max and Leo are near-suicidal. ("Where Did We Go Right?") Roger and Carmen come to congratulate the
Producers of the new smash, only to find them fighting over the accounting books. Just then, Franz bursts in, outraged by Roger's
portrayal of his beloved Führer and wielding a pistol. The police hear the commotion and arrive, taking away Franz, Max and the
accounting books. However, Leo hides and Ulla finds him and convinces him to take the two million dollars and run off to Rio as
Max had planned ("That Face (reprise)").
In prison, Max receives a postcard from Leo and feels ("Betrayed") and, in his big eleven o'clock number, recounts the whole
show (including intermission). At his trial Max is found "incredibly guilty", but then Leo and Ulla arrive and tell the judge
that Max is a good man who would never hurt anyone. ("'Til Him") The judge is touched by this and decides not to separate the
two, instead sending both (plus Franz) to Sing Sing prison for 5 years. In prison, they write a new musical entitled "Prisoners
of Love" which goes to Broadway ("Prisoners of Love") (starring the stars of Springtime, Roger and Ulla) when they are pardoned
by the Governor. Leo and Max continue to produce Broadway musicals and, at the end, the two fully-fledged kings of Broadway walk
off into the sunset. ("Leo & Max") After the curtain call, there is one last song, with the cast telling the audience to
leave. ("Goodbye")
Differences between the film and stage musical
-
Main article: Differences between film and musical versions of The
Producers
Although the musical has many scenes and jokes taken directly from the film, there are still many differences. For example,
Ulla has a much larger role, as does Springtime for Hitler director Roger
DeBris. The character Lorenzo St. Dubois (LSD), a hippie who played Hitler in the 1968 movie, does not appear in the new version.
Overall the musical is much more upbeat and ends more happily, with even the Nazi character Franz
Liebkind being portrayed more sympathetically and getting a happy ending.
List of Songs
- Act I
- Overture
- Opening Night
- The King of Broadway
- We Can Do It
- I Wanna Be a Producer
- We Can Do It (Reprise)
- In Old Bavaria
- Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop
- Keep It Gay
- When You've Got It, Flaunt It
- Along Came Bialy
|
- Act II
- That Face
- Haben sie gehört das deutsche Band?
- Opening Night (Reprise)
- You Never Say Good Luck on Opening Night
- Springtime for Hitler
- Where Did We Go Right?
- That Face (Reprise)
- Betrayed
- 'Til Him
- Prisoners of Love
- Prisoners of Love (Leo and Max)
- Goodbye!
|
Characters and original Broadway cast
The replacement cast starred Henry Goodman and Steven Weber in Lane and Broderick's respective roles, and the loss of the original stars had a
detrimental effect on the success of the show, prompting the return of Lane and Broderick for another run, from December 30, 2003 until April 4,
2004.
Other "Max" performers included Tony Danza (who is slated to play that role in the Las
Vegas production), John Treacy Egan, Henry
Goodman, Richard Kind, Brad Oscar, and
Lewis J. Stadlen. "Leo" players included Roger
Bart, Hunter Foster, and Alan Ruck.
Broadway production history
The original Broadway production of The Producers opened at the St. James
Theatre on April 19 2001 and ran for 2,502 performances,
closing on April 22 2007. The director and choreographer was
Susan Stroman. The show originally starred Nathan
Lane as Max Bialystock (who reprised that role during the show's first few months on London's West End) and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom. It won 12
Tony Awards, breaking the record held for 37 years by Hello, Dolly! which had won 10.
After the opening, The Producers broke the record for the largest single day box-office gross in theatre history,
taking in more than $3 million. It then broke its own record in 2003 when Broderick and Lane's return went on sale, with over
$3.5 million in single day ticket sales.
Beginning in September 2002 there were two touring companies that played 74 cities in the United States grossing over $214
million.[3]. The 1st National touring company starred Lewis
J. Stadlen and Alan Ruck. When the tour came to Los Angeles, Stadlen and Ruck
were replaced by Jason Alexander and Martin Short
for the duration of the show's run in that city.
Encouraged by the success of The Producers, Brooks has created a musical theatre version of Young Frankenstein, based on his eponymous movie, which is scheduled to start tryouts
in Seattle's Paramount Theatre in August before moving to Broadway's Hilton Theatre in
October 2007.
The London production
The London production of the musical got off to a complicated start with the late withdrawal of Richard Dreyfuss shortly before its opening. However, these problems were quickly forgotten after the
announcement that Nathan Lane, the creator of the role in the New York production, would be
stepping in for a limited run at a salary of what is thought to be significantly higher than £30,000 per week.
The Producers opened in London's West End at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on November 9 2004 and closed on January 6 2007. In addition to
Lane, the production featured Lee Evans as Leo Bloom, Leigh Zimmerman as Ulla, Conleth Hill as Roger De Bris and
James Dreyfus as Carmen Ghia. Franz Liebkind was played by Nicolas Colicos. The show
enjoyed excellent box office success as it had in New York. Despite the later departure of Lane from the show, it continued to
enjoy strong sales. Max Bialystock was later played by Cory English, among others, and Leo
Bloom was later played by John Gordon Sinclair and Reece Shearsmith.
UK tour
The tour opened in Manchester for 3 months, commencing 19 February 2007. Peter Kay was cast in the role of Roger De Bris, with Cory English and
John Gordon Sinclair reprising their roles of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom,
respectively. For the remainder of the UK tour, running through until early 2008, Joe
Pasquale will take over the role of Leo Bloom and Russ Abbot will play Roger DeBris.
The tour's dates at the Bristol Hippodrome were cancelled due to reported poor ticket
sales. Recently Reported, Peter Kay Will Now be taking over the role of Roger Debris from Russ Abbot for a limited run In Cardiff
from the 3rd Of December, To the 8th Of December 2007.
UK Tour Cast:
- Max Bialystock - Cory English
- Leo Bloom - John Gordon Sinclair (Manchester only), Joe Pasquale (rest of tour)
- Ulla - Emma-Jayne Appleyard
- Franz Liebkind - Alex Giannini
- Roger DeBris - Peter Kay (Manchester/Cardiff only), Russ Abbot (rest of tour)
- Carmen Ghia
Other productions
The Producers has also been successful in many other countries. There have been Canadian,
German, Australian, Israeli,
South Korean, Argentine, Japanese, Danish, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish, Mexican,
New Zealand, Czech, Finnish, Brazilian and English
productions.
The following is specific information on other productions:
- The Los Angeles, California, production opened on May 2, 2003 at the Pantages Theatre and closed January 4, 2004. Co-starring were Jason
Alexander as Max Bialystock, and Martin Short as Leo Bloom.
- Toronto, Canada, with actor Sean Cullen playing the role of Bialystock and Michael
Therriault as Bloom. Due to low ticket sales, the musical closed after a 33-week run, two monts short of its announced
closing. [4]
- Berlin, Germany, opened in 2002.
- Melbourne, Australia with Reg Livermore as Bialystock and Tom Burlinson as Bloom. Television
veteran Bert Newton plays Liebkind and is a major drawcard. It also feature Chloe Dallimore
as Ulla and Tony Sheldon as Roger DeBris. The show played in Melbourne for eight months, Brisbane for six weeks and for six months in Sydney.
- Tel Aviv, Israel has a version of the musical, translated
into Hebrew, starring Shlomo Bar Abba as Bialystock. The Nazi references in the show have been modified to account for local
sensitivities. Hitler is portrayed as morbidly obese, and whenever the actors mention his name it is followed by 'Yimach shemo
vezichro' (may his name and memory be obliterated); then they spit.
- Seoul, South Korea
- Buenos Aires, Argentina The stage version ran on the
Lola Membrives Theater from March 29, 2005 to August 27, 2006, starring Enrique Pinti as
Max Bialystock, Guillermo Francella as Leo Bloom (both renowned Argentinian
comedians) and María Rojí as Ulla.
- Tokyo, Japan. Japanese translated production at Aoyama Theatre
in August 13–31 2005. Starring Yoshihiko Inohara as Max Bialystock and Hiroshi Nagano as Leo Bloom — both members of the popular
band, V6.
- Copenhagen, Denmark's production had its
Scandinavian premier at Det Ny Teater on January
26 2006. The Danish language production starring
Preben Kristensen as Max Bialystock and Mads Knarreborg as Leo Bloom has garnered critical acclaim and plays to packed houses.
The run for the musical has been extended twice. The first extension was made less than two weeks after the premier with ticket
sales topping 50,000. The show is also known as "Forår for Hitler" ("Springtime for Hitler"), after the Danish-language
translation of the original movie title.
- Milan, Italy. Premiere at Teatro della Luna on January 27 2006. Starring Enzo Iacchetti as Max Bialystock, Gianluca Guidi as
Leo Bloom and Simona Samarelli as Ulla.
- Budapest, Hungary. Premiere at Theatre Madách (Madách
Színház) on June 2 2006. Péter Haumann, János Gálvölgyi, and Béla
Szerednyei alternate as Max Bialystock; Sándor Nagy, Dávid Sándor, and Vajk Szente alternateg as Leo Bloom; and Nikolett Gallusz,
Judit Ladinek and Szonja Oroszlán alternate as Ulla.
- Madrid, Spain. Premiere at Teatro Coliseum on September 14, 2006. Starring Santiago
Segura as Max Bialystock, José Mota as Leo Bloom and Dulcinea Juárez as Ulla. Closed on
May 6, 2007.
- Mexico City, Mexico. Produced by OCESA Teatro Premiere at Centro Cultural Telmex on December 13,
2006. Starring Pedro Armendáriz Jr. and Alejandro Calva alternating as Max Bialystock; Adal Ramones,
Héctor Sandarti and Juan Manuel Bernal, alternating as
Leo Bloom; and Natalia Sosa as Ulla.
- Las Vegas, Nevada (USA).
Premiered at Paris Casino on February 9, 2007. Starring
Brad Oscar as Max Bialystock, Larry Raben as Leo Bloom and
Leigh Zimmerman as Ulla. The cast also included David
Hasselhoff as Roger De Bris (replaced by Lee Roy Reams in May 2007). The Las Vegas production is a 90-minute version of
the original Broadway musical.
- The New Zealand premiere will be at the Court Theatre in Christchurch and will run from 24 November 2007–16 February 2008.
Directed by Sandra Rasmussen. Starring Steven Ray and Max Bialystock, Cameron Douglas as Leo Bloom, Sia Trokenheim as Ula &
Keith Adams as Roger DeBris.
- The Czech version is running in Karlin Musical Theatre in Prague
- A production is running in Finland. [5]
- A production is also running in Sao Paulo, Brazil with
Miguel Falabella as Max Bialystock, Vladimir Brichta as
Leo Bloom and Juliana Paes as Ulla
- The North Shore Music Theatre, which is the largest theater in all of New England, is preparing to perform a production for 2008, for theatre students ages
14 to 18 for their "Summer Stage Four" productions.
- Vereinigte Bühnen Wien has announced that the Ronacher theatre in
Vienna is preparing to re-open with the first German-language production on 30th June
2008[6].
Movie adaptation
-
In 2005, the musical was adapted into a musical film,
becoming a movie based on a musical based on a movie about a musical. It was directed by Stroman and starred most of the original
Broadway cast, except for Oscar and Huffman. Their roles were instead played by Will
Ferrell and Uma Thurman, respectively. The songs "King of Broadway", "In Old Bavaria"
and "Where Did We Go Right?" were not in the theatrical cut of the movie, although "King of Broadway" and "In Old Bavaria"
appeared on the DVD as deleted scenes. Instead, two original songs, "You'll Find Your Happiness In Rio" and "There's Nothing Like
A Show On Broadway" were added to the film. It opened on December 16, 2005 and received mixed reviews from critics.
Popular culture
On the television show Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Producers was
featured in almost every episode of season four. Larry David was offered the part of Max
Bialystock by Mel Brooks, the part of Leo Bloom was occupied by Ben Stiller. When David
accidentally injured Stiller's eye, Stiller was replaced by David Schwimmer. The story
took a unique turn when Larry David's attempt to play the part is marred by his missing lines. However, he makes up some ad-lib
comedy that keeps the audience laughing. In a "life imitating art" twist, it's revealed that Brooks cast David specifically so he
would fail, end the show and "free" Brooks of its success. Brooks is seen at the theater bar with wife Anne Bancroft, both laughing at how bad David is and they no longer have to travel to every city for a
premiere. Of course, David ends up being a hit and Mel leads Anne out, both weakly muttering "no way out..." This was Bancroft's
final filmed appearance before her death.
In an episode of House, when Gregory House and James Wilson finish a job interview, as soon as
the young lady they were interviewing leaves, Dr. Wilson quotes the musical by exclaiming "That's our Hitler!"
Awards and nominatons
Tony Awards
Drama Desk Awards
- Outstanding New Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Book of a Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Nathan Lane (WINNER); Matthew Broderick (nominee)
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Gary Beach (WINNER); Roger Bart (nominee)
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Choreography (WINNER)
- Outstanding Director of a Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Orchestrations (WINNER)
- Outstanding Lyrics (WINNER)
- Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Costume Design (WINNER)
- Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical of the
season
References
- ^ Information from the
PBS website
- ^ Information from the CNN archives
- ^ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/107445.html
- ^ News from the Playbill.com website
- ^ Information about he Finnish production
- ^ [1]
External links
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