The Producers closes today

Arts News

By Amy Somensky Apr 22, 2007, 1:35 GMT

New York: The Producers plays its final performance today at the St. James Theater. The musical has played just under six years and 2,502 performances. The cast at the time of closing includes Hunter Foster as Leo Bloom, Tony Danza as Max Bialystock, Brad Musgrove as Carmen Ghia, Lee Roy Reams as Roger De Bris, Angie Schworer as Ulla, and Bill Nolte as Franz Liebkind.Mel Brooks said previously in a statement, "The last six years working on this show have been pure joy for me. There is not a single person who has ever been involved with this production to whom I am not gratefully indebted to for their talent, devotion and support during the run of The Producers. All of my Broadway experiences to date have been everything I could have hoped they would be and more."Susan Stroman, director and choreographer said, "This show is first and foremost a tribute to Broadway. I give my most heartfelt thank you to every performer, writer, designer, crew member, musician, producer and the countless others who have made this show part of theatre history. I can truly say that I have had the privilege of working with the best of Broadway. The sound of laughter is the greatest sound on earth, and I have been lucky enough to experience that sound every day for the last six years. But I consider myself luckiest for having had the chance to collaborate with the brilliant and spontaneous mind of Mel Brooks."The Producers opened at the St. James on April 19, 2001 and swept the 2001 Tony Awards winning Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan), Best Original Score (Mel Brooks), Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner), Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long), Best Lighting Design (Peter Kaczorowski), Best Orchestrations (Doug Besterman), Best Choreography and Best Direction of A Musical (Susan Stroman). The original company included Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock, Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom, Gary Beach as Roger de Bris, Cady Huffman as Ulla, Roger Bart as Carmen Ghia, and Brad Oscar as Franz Liebkind.In The Producers, a theatre producer and his accountant hatch a sure-fire get rich scam; raise more money than they need for a Broadway flop titled Springtime for Hitler. Things go awry when the show becomes more popular than they planned.

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