2008 The Producers

Countless Broadway plays have eventually gone on to become Hollywood movies, but when has Mel Brooks ever been one to follow convention? His comedy gem The Producers began as a film starring Zero Mostel as an exuberant but hitless Broadway producer and Gene Wilder as his shy and risk-averse accountant, earning Brooks the 1968 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. But this hilarious tale about Broadway must have been destined for the stage, as proved by the record-setting 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, it won in 2001 and by the thousands of tickets it is still selling as a smash hit at the St. James Theatre!

The Producers shows us what happens when Max Bialystock, the financially desperate producer (brought to life on the stage by Nathan Lane), and Leo Bloom, the timid accountant (stage role originated by Matthew Broderick), glom onto a fool-proof scheme to make a fortune. They can raise lots more money than they need for a Broadway production, knowing they will never have to pay it back - as long as their play is a total flop! With an appallingly bad musical entitled 'Springtime for Hitler,' how can they fail to fail?

In addition to the book, which he co-scripted with Thomas Meehan, Mel Brooks created the music and lyrics for 16 original songs. Director and choreographer was multiple-Tony winner Susan Stroman. Get your tickets to The Producers and experience a side-splitting musical comedy in the classic Broadway tradition.