Overview
Synopsis
Based on the 1968 film, Mel Brooks’s musical The Producers is a laugh-out-loud, outrageous, crowd-pleasing farce that has been a smash hit since its 2001 debut. Fading Broadway producer Max Bialystock is desperate to get to the top of his profession again, and he finds an unlikely ally in mousy accountant Leo Bloom, who hypothesizes that one could make far more money with a flop of a show than with a hit. Together, the two set out to produce the worst musical ever to hit Broadway, with the worst script, the worst director, and the worst cast they can find; the catch is that they will raise two million dollars to finance the show, and they plan to take the money and head to Rio when the show inevitably closes after just one performance. Too bad for Bialystock & Bloom that, against all odds, the show is a total hit! With dozens of big and bit parts alike, no shortage of showstopping musical numbers, and Brooks’ signature humor keeping audiences in stitches, The Producers is definitely far from a flop.
Show Information
- Book
- Thomas Meehan , Mel Brooks
- Music
- Mel Brooks
- Lyrics
- Mel Brooks
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Based on the film
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2001
- Genres
- Comedy, Satire
- Settings
- Spectacle
- Time & Place
- 1959, new york city
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult, Mature Adult Characters
Context
Mel Brooks had been approached for years with the idea of turning his successful 1968 film The Producers into a stage production, but the project didn’t come to fruition until 1998, when Brooks contacted writer Thomas Meehan to collaborate with him. Rehearsals began in 2000 for a February 2001 pre-Broadway trial run at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, which quickly sold out and garnered rave reviews. Its Broadway opening, starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane as Leo Bloom and Max
to read the context for The Producers and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
It is 10:30 PM on an evening in early June, 1959, in New York City. Fading Broadway producer Max Bialystock is opening his newest show, “Funny Boy,” a comic musical version of Hamlet (“Opening Night”). The theatergoers leave shaking their heads — the show is a complete flop and closes before the opening night is even over. Max reads the terrible reviews and laments the downward turn his career has taken, but he is determined to make it back to the top ("King of Broadway").
to read the plot for The Producers and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
|
Songs
Act I
- Overture – Orchestra
- Opening Night – Workman, First Nighters, Usherettes
- The King of Broadway – Workman, Bum, Bag Lady, Blind Violinist, Max, Street Cleaner, Nuns, Usherettes
- We Can Do It – Max, Leo
- I Wanna Be a Producer – Leo, Chorus Girls, Accountants
- We Can Do It (Reprise) – Leo, Max, Offstage Chorus
- I Wanna Be a Producer (Reprise) – Leo, Max
- In Old Bavaria – Franz, Pigeons
- Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop – Franz, Leo Max
- Keep It Gay – Roger, Carmen, Max, Leo, Roger’s Team
- When You've Got It, Flaunt It – Ulla
- Along Came Bialy/Act I Finale– Max , Leo, Little Old Ladies, Ulla, Roger, Carmen, Roger’s Team, Franz, Ensemble
Act II
- That Face – Leo, Ulla
- That Face (Reprise) – Leo, Max
- A Wand’ring Minstrel - Jack
- Haben Sie gehört das deutsche Band? – Jason, Franz
- Opening Night (Reprise) – Usherettes
- It’s Bad Luck To Say 'Good Luck' on Opening Night – Roger, Carmen, Franz, Leo
- Springtime for Hitler Chorus, Storm Troopers, Roger, Ulla, Stalin, Churchill, the Heil-Los
- Where Did We Go Right? – Leo, Max
- Leo Goes to Rio – Ulla, Leo
- Betrayed – Max
- ‘Til Him – Leo, Max, Little Old Ladies
- Prisoners of Love – Max, Leo, Franz, Ulla, Girl Prisoners, Roger, Convicts
- Goodbye! – All
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
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