The Producers (1968) Movie Review Some drinking, largely without consequences. Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this film depicts two con men trying to steal money from elderly women and unsuspecting theatergoers. The Broadway musical featured in the movie comically champions Nazi beliefs and dogma; the song lyrics contain many references to the glory of "the master race" and other aspects of Nazi ideologies. There are several references to sex and the musical features some suggestively clad females on stage. Because the film has been turned into a high-profile Broadway musical and is being remade for the screen with actors Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, children may be familiar with it and want to see it. User reviews Review this title! What's the story? A slapstick comedy-musical starring Gene Wilder, THE PRODUCERS features two con artist/Broadway producers who plot to swindle old women into financing the most awful musical ever staged. Their ultimate goal is to have the musical bomb, pocket all of the receipts, and then disappear to a beach in Rio de Janeiro.

To make this dream a reality, Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and Leo Bloom choose an offensive Nazi love story penned by a German madman, and select a no-talent gay director in order to ensure that the musical flops. The result is "Springtime for Hitler," an absurd musical extravaganza that features scantily clad Bavarian women and a dancing chorus comprised of Nazi soldiers. Is it any good? QUALITY There are moments of this movie that are so bizarre that they are nothing short of hilarious. Nevertheless, appreciating this humor requires that viewers be able to identify the parodic quality of the staged musical. The film allows many opportunities for families to discuss the stereotyped portrayals of various characters, for example, the play's gay director and Bialystock's seemingly, Swedish sex kitten secretary. The moral implications of deceiving others and the potential fallout of going after a quick buck are also good discussion points. Families can talk about... Families can talk about the ethical problems involved in Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom's business practices. Why did they focus their efforts on cheating older women? How did Bialystock convince Bloom to go into business with him?

What would you have done if someone offered you a lot of money to cheat others? The content of the play also offers families many opportunities to discuss racism and anti-semitism. Why might some people be offended by the song lyrics, despite their satirical overtones? Furthermore, the director character offers families an opportunity to discuss homosexuality. How does the film portray the character Roger de Bris? Why is he shown wearing a dress? Why might some people be upset about that? Movie details The Producers (2005) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error After putting together another Broadway flop, down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock teams up with timid accountant Leo Bloom in a get-rich-quick scheme to put on the world's worst show.

Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 36 titles created 07 Oct 2012 a list of 38 titles created 04 Jun 2014 a list of 23 titles created 28 Sep 2015 a list of 35 titles created 10 months ago a list of 45 titles created 3 months ago Search for " The Producers " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 13 nominations. See more awards » Videos Edit Storyline New York, 1959. Max Bialystock was once the king of Broadway, but now all his shows close on opening night. Things turn around when he's visited by the neurotic accountant Leo Bloom, who proposes a scheme tailor-made for producers who can only make flops: raise far more money than you need, then make sure the show is despised. No one will be interested in it, so you can pocket the surplus.

To this end, they produce a musical called Springtime for Hitler written by escaped Nazi Franz Liebken. Then they get the insanely flamboyant Roger De Bris to direct. Finally, they hire as a lead actress the loopy Swedish bombshell Ulla (whose last name has over 15 syllables). As opening night draws near, what can go wrong? Well, there's no accounting for taste... Written by rmlohner Rated PG-13 for sexual humor and references | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 25 December 2005 (USA) See more » Also Known As: The Producers: The Movie Musical See more » Filming Locations: $154,590 (USA) (16 December 2005) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Fred Applegate had a run as Max Bialystock in the London production of the play. See more » Goofs When Leo knocks on Max's door at the beginning of the movie, you see him knocking with his right hand. Later the angle changes and you see that Leo is knocking with his left hand and has a bag and coat on his right hand.

See more » Quotes Donald Dinsmore : I would like to sing "The little wooden boy. " [the song intro plays as Donald dances. Just before he is about to open his mouth:] See more » Crazy Credits For the closing credits, Will Ferrell (in the character of Franz Liebkind) recorded "The Hop-Clop Goes On" - a slower version of "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop" that parodies "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic" right down to the cheesy instrumentals. At the end of the song, Franz whispers to the audience: "Don't forget to purchase 'Mein Kampf' in paperback. You can find it at Borders... or Barnes and Noble...und Amazon.com" See more » Connections Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks Performed by Matthew Broderick , Accountants and Girls in Pearls (Michigan) – See all my reviews The Producers (2005) **** Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Farrell, Gary Beach, Roger Bart Dir. Susan Stroman I don't think the critics know what they are talking about. This movie rocked! It took me back to the old days of movie musicals.

You know, the Bugsby Berkley years, big and flashy with hum able songs. Based on the 1968 film starring Zero Maestel and Gene Wilder, and the smash hit on Broadway, the story of a failing Producer named Max Bialystock who has just had the worst show in town close called Funny Boy, a musical version of Hamlet. Distraught he runs into accountant Leo Bloom who comes up with the notion that you can make more money with a flop than with a hit. Max overjoyed to hear such wonderful news lays it all out. Step 1. They find the worst play ever written, the "mother lode" as Max calls it when he comes across Springtime for Hitler, written by neo-nazi Franz Liebkind. Step 2. Hire the worst director, a prime and proper gay man named Roger Debris who wants to keep everything gay! Step 3. Raise 2 million dollars from Max's backers: harmless little old ladies looking for a last roll in the hay. Step 4 Open on Broadway and before you can say step 5 they close and run off to Rio. All goes well until Springtime for Hitler becomes a success leaving Leo and Max in the dust.

People have been comparing it to the original, which sure it has some of the same lines, and the story is the same, but both shows have something different to offer. You get songs in this version that you don't get in the original. Nathan Lane tears up the screen and will have you in stitches as Max; his show stopping number "Betrayed" will have you applauding. Matthew Broderick is also very good as Leo who can't grab life by the balls and go. He sings "I Wanna Be A Producer" with such gusto and dances with Ms. Uma Thurman, who is amazing as Ulla, and their dance number has sheds of the old Astaire and Rogers's musicals of the 30s. Also excellent, are Will Farrell as the Nazi who speaks to his birds and Gary Beach and Roger Bart as Roger De Bris and Carmen Ghia they gay "couple" who want to put Springtime for Hitler on the stage, both stand out in the cast, and both played the roles on Broadway.

Other familiar faces you will see are Jon Lovitz as Leo's accounting firms boss, Michael McKean as one of the prisoners and Richard Kind as the Jury Foreman who took over in the Nathan Lane role on the stage. Susan Stroman doesn't make the camera cuts flashy, they are simple, which makes it more enjoyable to watch the dance numbers, from the opening number to the hilarious "Along Came Bialy" when the old ladies do a dance break with walkers, to "Keep it Gay" to the uproarious Springtime for Hitler number. The best-staged number was probably "I Wanna Be A Producer" as it has shades from the 30s mixed with modern day. It was wonderful! If you listen to some critics who choose to say "this film show inexperience" or "not as good as the original" you are missing a terrific movie musical that is just as good as Chicago! Plus Mel Brooks was also standing there at the helm with Ms. Stroman. Be advised to stay until the very end of the credits to view something special! Bravo! 100 of 147 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes The Producers the Musical Theatre Royal Drury Lane - Opened 9 Nov 2004, closed 6 Jan 2007, 902 performances Cast: Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Conleith Hill, James Dreyfus What was your favourite production? Add your thoughts in the comments box Synopsis In 1959 New York City, Max Bialystock is celebrating the “Opening Night” of Funny Boy, a musical version of Hamlet. It is so atrocious that it closes after only one night. Max reflects on his former reputation as the “King of Broadway” and hopes to find a project that will equal his previous successes. His mild-mannered accountant, Leo Bloom, arrives the next day to audit the Funny Boy accounts. A little old lady who is one of Max’s investors arrives, prompting Max to hide Leo in the bathroom. It turns out Max has been seducing sex-deprived elderly women to finance his productions. After the woman leaves, Leo reveals that there is a discrepancy in Max’s accounts as he raised $2000 more than he spent on the show.

After convincing Leo to write off this discrepancy, Max realises that a producer could make even more money on a flop than a hit by raising way more money than needed and having the production close early. He comes up with a scam to raise $2 million and then find the worst show, director, and cast possible, open the show, close after one night, and then jet off to Rio with the leftover money (“We Can Do It”). Leo is morally opposed to the project and declines. Leo heads to work the next day to the endless harassment of his tyrannical boss, Mr. Marks. At his desk, he dreams of one day becoming a producer on Broadway (“I Wanna Be a Producer”). He decides to quit his job and go for Max’s scheme. They set off to find the worst play ever-written and find it in Springtime for Hitler, a musical romp that positively views Hilter and the rise of the Third Reich. They seek out the playwright, Franz Liebkind, who is an ex-Nazi living in Greenwich Village, reminiscing about the good times “In Old Bavaria.” They convince Franz to sign the contract and next try to find the worst director in town.

Max knows just the man for the job and they visit the eccentric homosexual Roger De Bris, who at first turns down the project as being too serious, urging Max and Leo to “Keep It Gay.” After Max mentions the Tony-winning potential, Roger agrees to take it on, but only if the ending is rewritten so the Germans win World War II. Max and Leo return to the office to find a blonde Swedish bombshell named Ulla who wants to audition for their next production (“When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It”). They immediately hire her as their secretary, as Max heads off to seduce his legion of old ladies to raise the money (“Along Came Bialy”). Meanwhile, Ulla and Leo have begun to fall in love (“That Face”), while Max only lusts after Ulla. At auditions, Roger rejects every actor that comes by, until Franz auditions for his own show and is summarily hired to play Hitler. Opening night rolls around again, but Franz suddenly falls and breaks his leg.

As Roger is the only other person who knows the role, he goes on in the premiere of “Springtime for Hitler.” However, due to his over-the-top camp performance, the audience believes the play is meant to be a satire and are roaring in the aisles. The play is a huge success and becomes the biggest show on Broadway, much to Leo and Max’s distress. Max and Leo flee to their office, wondering how the got into this situation (“Where Did We Go Right?”). Franz arrives to confront them for corrupting his play, threatening Max with a pistol. The police turn up and arrest Franz and Max, and confiscate all of the accounting books. Leo and Ulla manage to escape and plan to head to Rio together with the two million dollars. At trial, Max is understandably found guilty of fraud, but at the last moment Leo and Ulla arrive to testify on his behalf. The judge is moved and decides it would be unfair to separate Leo and Max, so he sends them both to prison for five years. While in jail, they write a new musical called “Prisoners of Love,” which stars Ulla and becomes a major hit. “Leo and Max” solidify their reputations as the biggest producers on Broadway.

Songs I Wanna Be a Producer In Old Bavaria When You Got It, Flaunt It Along Came Bialy Haben Sie Gehort Das Deutsche Band It’s Bad Luck to Say Good Luck on Op’ning Night Where Did We Go Right? Betrayed Broadway Musical Home - The Producers Broadway Musical Home Who starred in the original cast? Where can I buy the music? What’s the buzz on Broadway? Find out at Broadway Musical Home The Producers Buy Tickets About the Musical This 2001 Tony Award­winner for Best Musical is adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks’ 1968 comedy film. Story: Max Bialystock, the one­time king of Broadway producers hungry to strike it rich, and Leo Bloom, an accountant with dreams of someday becoming a theatre producer, discover that they could get richer by producing a flop than a hit and start by finding the worst show, worst director, and worst actors. When their new production, “Springtime for Hitler,” turns out to be a smash success, the plan is thrown off and the partners lives are thrown into chaos.

2,502 Original Cast Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Cady Huffman, Brad Oscar, Madeleine Doherty, Kathy Fitzgerald, Eric GunHus, Peter Marinos, Jennifer Smith, Ray Wills Director Susan Stroman Producer Rocco Landesman, SFX Theatrical Group, The Frankel-Baruch-Viertel-Routh Group, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Rick Steiner, Robert F.X. Sillerman and Mel Brooks Musical Director Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn 2005 Film Version Hollywood Musical, Adaptation of Stage Version Director Click on a song name to listen/purchase it on CDs Recording "The Producers" - A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks Books The Book, Lyrics, and Story Behind the Biggest Hit in Broadway History!

Other Best Book of a Musical Best Original Score Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Cady Huffman Best Scenic Design Best Direction of a Musical Best Orchestrations Best Actor in a Musical - Nathan Lane Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Gary Beach Best Actor in a Musical -Matthew Broderick Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Roger Bart Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Brad Oscar 2001 Drama Desk Award Nominations Outstanding New Musical Outstanding Book of a Musical Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Nathan Lane Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Gary Beach Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical - Cady Huffman Outstanding Choreography Outstanding Director of a Musical Outstanding Orchestrations Outstanding Set Design of a Musical Outstanding Costume Design Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Matthew Broderick Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - Roger Bart Outstanding Lighting Design The Producers | Ipswich Libraries | BiblioCommons mswrite Jun 27, 2016 Well... If you love Zero ("Fiddler On the Roof") Mostel, the late, great, larger than life actor who originated the Max Bialystock role, you're bound to have mixed feelings about this reboot of the 1968 film that boasted some of his very best work.

But it helps a lot that rather than a flat-out remake, this 2005 version of "The Producers" is (all together now) the movie version of the hit 2001 Broadway musical of the same name that was itself based on the original non-musical film starring Mostel and the incomparable Gene ("Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein") Wilder. The original film was not a musical per se, but had several zany musical numbers in it, including the jaw-dropping title theme, "Springtime For Hitler," which also appears in this film. Got all that? It also helps that Nathan Lane, who took over the role of Bialystock in the Broadway show, reprises his work here. He's truly hilarious, and is probably the only actor other than Mostel who could have done justice to the scheming, sloppy, utterly corrupt yet weirdly endearing Max.

Matthew Broderick is not as manically funny as Wilder, but he does bring to the role of Leo Bloom a similar hapless sweetness, and Will Ferrell as the idiot-Nazi Franz Liebkin is almost as good as the versatile Kenneth Mars, a favorite Brooks actor. But Gary Beach absolutely kills as the wildly flamboyant Roger de Bris, the director, says Max, "whose plays close on the first day of rehearsal." Like Twoey Gray Dec 18, 2008 This is one of the most fun musicals I have ever seen. It is a scream! The contrast between the two leads makes it all the more interesting. This is a must see for anyone in the mood for a laugh! Like m masrwilson Nov 15, 2007 I couldn't agree with you more Crayboy. I haven't seen the original, but it has to be better. Nathan and Matthew are pretty good, but there lacked spark and energy through out the whole movie. I would have cut so much more out of the movie as it was way too slow.

Like The Producers The Producers by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan The Producers is a 2001 musical play adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks’ 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics by Brooks and music by Brooks and Glen Kelly. 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 original production opened on Broadway on April 19, 2001, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and ran for 2,502 performances, winning a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards. It spawned a successful London production running for three years, national tours, many productions internationally and a 2005 film version. Background 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 in 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. Broadway The production 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 ticket sales in theatre history, taking in more than $3 million.[3] 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. US Tour Beginning in September 2002, there were two touring companies that played 74 cities across the United States, grossing over $214 million.[4] The 1st National touring company starred Lewis J. Stadlen and Don Stephenson. During the Los Angeles engagement in 2003, Stadlen and Stephenson were replaced by Jason Alexander and Martin Short for the duration of the show’s run in that city, as well as in San Francisco.[5] London The Producers at Theatre Royal, Drury LaneThe London production of the musical got off to a complicated start with the late withdrawal of Richard Dreyfuss shortly before its opening, this was due to Richard not being physically fit enough to perfom such a demanding role.

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. Nathan was forced to withdraw a few weeks prior to his contracted run due to a slipped disc injury he sustained one performance during the Prisoners of Love number. The Producers opened in London’s West End at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on November 9, 2004, and closed on January 6, 2007, after 920 performances. In addition to Lane, the production featured Lee Evans as Leo Bloom (Lane and Evans had worked together in the 1997 movie MouseHunt), 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 Brad Oscar, Fred Applegate, and Cory English. Leo Bloom was later played by John Gordon Sinclair and Reece Shearsmith.

UK Tour The tour opened in Manchester for three 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 majority of the UK tour, running through until early 2008, Joe Pasquale took over the role of Leo Bloom and Russ Abbot played Roger DeBris. The tour’s dates at the Bristol Hippodrome were canceled reportedly because of poor ticket sales. European Amateur Premiere The first European amateur company to stage The Producers was the Act Too Group. It ran 16-20 September 2008 at The Hawth Theatre, Crawley, England. It starred Jack Lane as Max Bialystock and Nick Pritchard as Leo Bloom. U.S. Productions The Los Angeles, California, production ran May 2, 2003-January 4, 2004, at the Pantages Theatre. Co-starring were Jason Alexander as Max Bialystock and Martin Short as Leo Bloom.

The Las Vegas, Nevada production ran February 9, 2007-February 9, 2008 at Paris Casino. It starred Brad Oscar as Bialystock, Larry Raben as Bloom and Leigh Zimmerman as Ulla, with David Hasselhoff receiving top billing as Roger De Bris. The production was a 90-minute version.[6] The first U.S. regional theater production was in Lincolnshire, Illinois at the Marriott Theatre, September 2, 2007-November 25, 2007, and starred Ross Lehman as Bialystock and Guy Adkins as Bloom.[7] In May of 2008, the first ever high school production of “The Producers” was presented at Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, New York with Nicholas Guastella as Max Bialystock and Harrison Fuchs as Leo Bloom and went on to receive seven awards from The National Youth Theatre. In May 2009, The Producers was the closing show of 200th season of the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In February 2009, The Producers was a part of the 50th season of Diablo Light Opera Company and the San Francisco East Bay Premiere of the show. It starred Ginny Wehrmeister as Ulla, Ryan Drummond as Leo, and Marcus Klinger as Max. This production received the 2009 Shellie Award for Best Production, as well as Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor awards for Drummond and Klinger. Subsequently, Drummond, Klinger, and the Production received nominations for the 2009 Bay Area Theatre Critic Circle Award. Brad Oscar and Roger Bart reprised their roles as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, respectively, in a production at Starlight Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. The show ran from August 23-29, 2010.

[8] International Productions The Producers has also been presented professionally in many cities around the world, including Toronto, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Christchurch, Tel Aviv, Seoul, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Copenhagen, Milan, Budapest, Madrid, Halifax, Mexico City, Prague, Stockholm, Bratislava, Vienna, Helsinki, Athens, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Caracas, Portugal, Gothenborg, Copenhagen, Varde and Moscow.[9] It has been translated into German, Hebrew, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, Danish, Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Swedish, Slovak, Finnish, Greek, Portuguese, and Russian. Europe A Bratislava, Slovakia production openned September 19, 2008, at the Istropolis Theatre.

Starring Andrej Hryc/Marián Slovák (Max), Csongor Kassai/Tomáš Horváth (Leo), Kristína Farkašová/Eva Sakálová (Ulla), Štefan Skrúcaný/Roman Fedér (Roger), Viktor Horján/Štefan Martinovič (Carmen Gia), Marián Labuda sr./Michal Rovňák (Franz). A Swedish version opened in Stockholm at the China Theatre on September 19, 2008. The actors where Claes Malmberg (Max), Kim Sulocki (Leo), Christine Meltzer (Ulla), Magnus Härenstam (Roger), Claes Månsson (Franz) and Ola Forssmed (Carmen). Later, the show opened in Gothenborg, at the Lorensbergstheater. Everyone from the Stockholm cast where still in the show except for Meltzer. The role of Ulla was instead played by Pernilla Wahlgren in the fall of 2009 and Sofie Lindberg in the spring of 2010.

A production in Athens, Greece opened in October 2007 starring Paulos Haikalis (Max), Antonis Loudaros (Leo), Viky Kagia (Ulla), Apostolos Gkletsos (Franz), Giannis Vouros (Roger), and Pantelis Kanarakis (Carmen).[10] Copenhagen, Denmark’s production premiered at Det Ny Teater on January 26, 2006. The Danish language production starring Preben Kristensen as Bialystock and Mads Knarreborg as Bloom. The run for the musical was extended twice. A Milan, Italy production opened at Teatro della Luna on January 27, 2006. It starred Enzo Iacchetti as Bialystock, Gianluca Guidi as Leo Bloom, and Simona Samarelli as Ulla. A Budapest, Hungary production premiered 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 alternate as Leo Bloom; and Nikolett Gallusz, Judit Ladinek and Szonja Oroszlán alternate as Ulla. A Madrid, Spain production played at Teatro Coliseum from September 14, 2006 to May 6, 2007. It starred Santiago Segura as Bialystock, José Mota as Bloom, Dulcinea Juárez as Ulla, Fernando Albizu as Franz Liebkind, Miguel del Arco as Roger de Bris and Ángel Ruiz as Carmen Ghia. A German-language Viennese production ran at the Ronacher theatre from June 30, 2008 till February 22, 2009 with Cornelius Obonya as Bialystock, Andreas Bieber as Bloom, Bettina Moench as Ulla and Herbert Steinboeck as Liebkind.[11].

After closing in Vienna the show is scheduled to reopen in Berlin at the Admiralspalast by mid-May with the same cast. A Portuguese production opened in November 2008 in Linda-a-Velha. A Russian production opened in Moscow on April 23, 2009, with an unheard of (for a non-replica production) budget of $3 million. A German production opened in Berlin in May 2009.[9] The Czech version is running in Karlin Musical Theatre in Prague. A Finnish production ran August 30, 2007-May 24, 2008 at Helsinki City Theatre (Helsingin kaupunginteatteri).[12] The Americas A 2004 Toronto run, with Seán Cullen as Bialystock and Michael Therriault as Bloom, closed after 33 weeks, two months short of its announced closing.[13] A 2005 Buenos Aires, Argentina, production ran at the Lola Membrives Theater, starring comedians Enrique Pinti as Bialystock, Guillermo Francella as Bloom and María Rojí as Ulla.

The Mexico City run, produced by OCESA Teatro, opened at Centro Cultural Telmex on December 13, 2006. It starred Pedro Armendáriz Jr. and Alejandro Calva alternating as Bialystock; Adal Ramones, Héctor Sandarti and Juan Manuel Bernal alternating as Bloom; and Natalia Sosa as Ulla. The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil production has the same cast as the São Paulo, and debuted on April 2008 in the theatre house Vivo Rio. The São Paulo, Brazil production stars Miguel Falabella as Bialystock, Vladimir Brichta as Bloom, and Juliana Paes as Ulla. The Venezuelan production starts on April 12, 2008, at the “Aula Magna” of the UCV (Central University of Venezuela), at Caracas, the stars: Roque Valero as Leo Bloom, Armando Cabrera as Max Bialystock, and Fabiola Colmenares as Ulla.

In Panama City, Panama played during October 2009 at the Teatro en Círculo directed by Edwin Cedeño, starring Aaron Zebede as Max and Leo Almengor as Leo, winning the national theater award for Best Musical. The Monterrey, México production was produced by MUSICOLOGY ENTERTAINMENT, and ran at Teatro de las Bellas Artes del Centro Convex April 1, 2009-May 3, 2009. It starred Mauricio Herrera as Bialystock, Jose Andres Mujica as Bloom and Renan Moreno as Roger De Bris. Asia and Oceania A Japanese-language production ran in Tokyo at Aoyama Theatre in August 13–31 2005. It returned for a second run at Tokyo International Forum in February 2008. It starred Yoshihiko Inohara as Bialystock and Hiroshi Nagano as Bloom. Both were members of the popular idol group, V6. The Australian run starred Reg Livermore as Bialystock and Tom Burlinson as Bloom. Television veteran Bert Newton played Liebkind.

It also featured Chloe Dallimore as Ulla and Tony Sheldon as Roger DeBris. Dallimore’s understudy was Deborah Krizak, who played the role of Ulla during several performances. There were two USA performers in the cast, Stephany R. Simonelli and Matt Young. The production played in Melbourne for eight months, Brisbane for six weeks and for six months in Sydney. The New Zealand production played at the Court Theatre in Christchurch from November 24, 2007 to February 16, 2008, directed by Sandra Rasmussen. It starred Steven Ray as Bialystock, Cameron Douglas as Bloom, Sia Trokenheim as Ulla, Jon Pheloung as Franz Liebkind and Keith Adams as Roger De Bris. A short run (season of 3 shows) was performed brilliantly in Ipswich, Qld Australia on the 11, 12, 18 Sept 2010. Lead roles were played by Brendan Diekman and Bruce Edwards but the show was stolen by Neil Twiddle with his role of Franz Liebkind.

Standing ovations at the end of each show had audiences agreeing his portrayal matched, if not surpassed, Wil Ferrell. Act I In New York in 1959, Max Bialystock opens “Funny Boy”, a musical version of Hamlet (“Opening Night”). It is terrible, and the show closes after one performance. Max, who was once called the King of Broadway, tells a crowd of down-and-outs of his past achievements and vows to return to form (“King of Broadway”). The next day, Leo Bloom, a mousy accountant, comes to Max’s office to audit his books. When one of Max’s “investors” arrives, Max tells Leo to wait in the bathroom until she leaves. The investor is a little old lady. She plays a sex game with Max, who eventually persuades her to give him a check to be invested in his next play, to be called “Cash”. Leo reveals his lifelong dream: he’s always wanted to be a Broadway producer. After a panic attack when Max touches his blue blanket, Leo tells Max that he has found an accounting error in his books: Max raised $100,000 for “Funny Boy”, but the play only cost $98,000.

Max begs Leo to cook the books to hide the discrepancy. Leo reluctantly agrees. 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. … You could’ve raised a million dollars, put on your $100,000 flop, and kept 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 (“We Can Do It”). When he arrives at work 6 minutes late, Leo’s horrid boss, Mr. Marks, reminds him that he is a nobody. While he and his miserable co-workers slave over accounts, Leo daydreams of becoming a Broadway producer (“I Wanna Be a Producer”).

He realizes that his job is terrible, quits, and returns to Max (“We Can Do It” (reprise)). The next day, they look for the worst play ever written. Finally, Max finds the sure-fire flop: Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden written by Franz Liebkind. They go to the playwright’s home in Greenwich Village to get the rights to the play. Ex-Nazi Franz is on the roof of his tenement with his pigeons reminiscing about the grand old days (“In Old Bavaria”). The producers get him to sign their contract by joining him in singing Adolf Hitler’s favourite tune (“Der Guten Tag Hop Clop”) and reciting the Siegfried Oath, promising never to dishonor “the spirit and the memory of Adolf Elizabeth Hitler”. Next, they go to the townhouse of flamboyant homosexual Roger De Bris, the worst director in New York. At first, Roger and his “common law-assistant” Carmen Ghia decline the offer to direct because of the serious subject matter (“Keep It Gay”).

After much persuading and invoking the possibility of a Tony award, Roger agrees and tells them the second act must be rewritten so the Germans win World War II. Max and Leo return to the office to meet a Swedish bombshell who wants to audition for their next play: Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson. She auditions for them (“When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It”). The producers are impressed, mostly her beauty, and hire her to be their “secretary-slash-receptionist”. Max leaves to raise two million dollars for “Springtime for Hitler” by calling on all the little old ladies in New York (“Along Came Bialy”), which he does (“Act I Finale”). Act 2 Leo and Ulla are left alone in Max’s office (redecorated by Ulla), and they start to fall in love (“That Face”). Max walks in and sees the perfect form of Ulla’s covered behind (“That Face” (reprise)). At the auditions for the title role, Hitler, one terrible actor after another is rejected by Roger in summary fashion.

Finally, Franz performs his own jazzy rendition of “Haben Sie Gehört Das Deutsche Band”, at the end of which Max stands up and shouts, “That’s our Hitler!”. Opening night arrives (“It’s Bad Luck to Say ‘Good Luck’ on Opening Night”). At the last moment, Franz falls down the stairs and 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 the theatrical disaster unfold (“Springtime for Hitler”). Unfortunately, Roger’s performance is so campy and outrageous, the audience mistakes it for satire, and the show 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 them, only to find them fighting. Franz bursts in, waving a pistol, outraged by Roger’s portrayal of his beloved Führer. Cowardly Max suggests that he shoot the actors, not the producers. The police hear the commotion and take into custody Franz, who breaks his other leg trying to escape, Max, and the accounting books.

Leo hides; Ulla finds him and convinces him to take the two million dollars and run off to Rio with her. In jail awaiting trial, Max receives a postcard from Leo and feeling “Betrayed” recounts the whole show (including intermission). At his trial, Max is found “incredibly guilty”; but Leo and Ulla arrive to tell the judge that Max is a good man who would never hurt anyone (“‘Till Him”). The judge is touched by this and decides not to separate the two, 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 Roger and Ulla), and they are pardoned by the Governor. Leo and Max become the kings of Broadway and walk off into the sunset (“Leo & Max”). Everyone comes back for one last song, telling the audience that they have to leave (“Goodbye”). Differences between the 1968 Film and Stage Musical Differences between the 1968 film and stage musical Although the musical has many scenes and jokes taken from the film, there are still many differences.

The original film was set in the present day of its year of release, 1968. The musical was set in 1959. Consequently the character Lorenzo St. Dubois (LSD), a hippie who played Hitler in the 1968 movie, does not appear in the 2001 musical. In the original film, Max & Leo seek out to procure $1,000,000 to produce their show; in the musical, it has become $2,000,000 (“one for me, one for you. There’s a lotta little old ladies out there!”). Ulla has a much larger role in the musical and is a three-dimensional character instead of the mindless bimbo of the 1968 movie. Even the Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind is portrayed more sympathetically and comes to a happier ending than his 1968 counterpart. Over all, the musical is much more upbeat than the original film, which was a darker comedy, though with a happy ending.

There was also the fact that in the original film, Leo hides from the cops; but, in the new movie, he accidentally gets hung up in coat hanging on the door of Max’s office that stays open so the police are unaware of his presence. Characters and Original Broadway Cast Leopold “Leo” Bloom – Matthew Broderick Roger De Bris – Gary Beach Carmen Ghia – Roger Bart Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson “Bloom” – Cady Huffman Franz Liebkind – Brad Oscar The loss of the original stars had a detrimental effect on the success of the production, prompting the return of Lane and Broderick for another run, from December 30, 2003 until April 4, 2004. Other “Max” performers on Broadway included Tony Danza, John Treacy Egan, Richard Kind, Brad Oscar, and Lewis J. Stadlen. “Leo” actors included Don Stephenson, Roger Bart, Hunter Foster, Steven Weber, and Alan Ruck. 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 Brad Oscar—who was unable to reprise the role of Franz because he had signed on to play Max on Broadway and, instead, had a brief cameo as the cab driver—and Huffman. Their roles were 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; “King of Broadway” and “In Old Bavaria” appear 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. Popular Culture On the television show Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Producers was featured in almost every episode of Season 4. Larry David was offered the part of Max Bialystock by Mel Brooks, the part of Leo Bloom was occupied by Ben Stiller. When David and Stiller have a falling out, Stiller gets replaced by David Schwimmer.

The story took an unusual turn when Larry David’s attempt to play the part is marred by his missing his 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 real-life 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 Nominations At the 2001 Tony Awards, The Producers won 12 out of its 15 nominations, becoming one of the few musicals to win in every category for which it was nominated — it received two nominations for leading actor and three for featured actor. In 2009, the Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical received 15 nominations, tying with The Producers for the most nominations received by a show. Original Broadway Production 1. Information from the PBS website pbs.org 2.Information from the CNN archives cnn.com 3. Pogrebin, Robin.”Ticket Sales for ‘Producers’ Set a Broadway Record” New York Times , April 21, 2001 4. Playbill News : Broadway Record-Breaker “The Producers Closes April 22″ 5.Jones, Kenneth.”Alexander and Short Join Producers Tour in San Fran, April 21-26 Before L.A. Sitdown” playbill.com , March 25, 2003 6. playbill.com article, Feb.

9, 2008 7. Information about the regional production in Lincolnshire, Illinois. 8. [1] 9. Kimmelman, Michael. “ The Führer Returns to Berlin , This Time Saluted Only by Laughs”, The New York Times, May 18, 2009 10. Greek Production Information 12. Information about the Finnish production 13. News from the Playbill.com website 14. La Prensa website The Producers - New York City Sightseeing Bus Tours : On Location Tours The Producers Explore The Producers movie locations! When they hear the name The Producers, film buffs, theater buffs, and New Yorkers may have several different images pop into their heads. Mel Brooks’ story of two theater producers who try to put a guaranteed “flop” on Broadway has gone through many incarnations over the years. Tour-goers on On Location Tours’ Central Park TV & Movie Sites tour will get to see locations used in both the original 1968 film and the 2005 remake. In 1968, Mel Brooks wrote and directed his original comedy The Producers.

The film starred Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock, a washed-up theater producer, and Gene Wilder as Leo Bloom, a miserable accountant who has dreams of producing a show on Broadway. While going over Max’s books, Leo realizes that one could theoretically make more money from a flop than from a hit, if the show closed shortly after opening and they still had investors’ money left over. Max thinks this is a genius idea and convinces Leo to join him in his newly-hatched scheme to find the worst show ever written, raise two million dollars, close the show in one day, and flee the country with their millions. The “guaranteed flop” that they decide to produce is a musical called “Springtime for Hitler,” which was written by insane former-nazi Franz Liebkind (played by Kenneth Mars). They hire the business’s worst director, cast a flaky hippie as the lead, and Leo and Max know that the show, which is an incredibly offensive love-letter to Hitler, will be shut down immediately. However, their plan backfires when, on opening night, the audience believes the show to be a satire, and critics give it a rave review!

Since they’ve sold 25,000 percent of the show to investors, Leo and Max ultimately get caught. The scene where Leo agrees to Max’s scheme was shot at the Lincoln Center fountain. When Leo proclaims, “I’ll do it!” the fountain shoots up in the air very dramatically. This location has also been used in Moonstruck, Ghostbusters , Sweet Home Alabama, and Serpico, among many other films. On the Central Park TV & Movie Sites Walking Tour , visitors get a chance to ride the Central Park carousel, the location from the film where Leo and Max take an extended lunch break one day to have some fun and ride the carousel. Several decades later, Mel Brooks worked with Thomas Meehan to turn The Producers into a Broadway musical. It opened on Broadway in 2001 to rave reviews, critical acclaim, and enormous box office success. Basically the same plot as the film, the musical starred Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom. The music for the show was written by Mel Brooks and Glen Kelly.

The stage version of The Producers ran for 2,502 performances on Broadway, for three years in London, and has been done by several touring and international theater companies. It won a record-breaking twelve Tony Awards in 2001. The highly successful musical was then turned into a 2005 film, which also starred Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, as well as several other original Broadway cast members. It also starred Will Ferrell as Franz Liebkind and Uma Thurman as Ulla, the beautiful Swedish aspiring actress. Although most of the filming was done on a set at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios (this was actually the first feature film to be shot at the newly-built studio facility), some locations from the 2005 film are also seen on the Central Park tour. Tour-goers will get to walk down The Mall, the long, straight, tree-lined path where the little old ladies sing their musical number “Along Came Bialy,” and tap dance with their walkers. Also seen on the Central Park tour is Bethesda Terrace, which is the most filmed and most visited location in the park. This is where, in the 2005 version, Leo agrees to Max’s scheme.

There is also a fountain at this location and, much like in the original film, when Leo says, “I’ll do it!” the fountain splashes up high in the air. The reason this scene was not also filmed at Lincoln Center, like the original film was, was because the remake takes place in 1959, and Lincoln Center was not actually built until the 1960’s. We Suggest

Question: What is the name of the Nazi musical featured in the film The Producers?
Answer: SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER