On April 22nd, Mel Brooks will be calling it quits on his musical comedy The Producers. The Broadway smash opened on April 19, 2001 and has captivated audiences ever since. Mel said, “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.” And why not. The Producers earned a record number of Tony Awards that year, including Best Musical. It broke box office records by taking in 3 million in a single day. Then went off to beat that record by earning more than $3.5 million in a single day.
The show left a lasting impression on Broadway, receiving acclaim from all the top critics.
- Time magazine described the show as “a gift from the show biz gods.”
- The Times called it “a sublimely ridiculous spectacle… fast, fierce, shameless, vulgar, and altogether blissful.”
- And the USA Today critic said The Producers was “the funniest, most fearlessly irreverent thing I’ve ever seen.”
The original choreographer Susan Stroman said, “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.”
Brooks isn’t sad about letting his baby go, “All of my Broadway experiences to date have been everything I could have hoped they would be and more.” And don’t think he’s done making us laugh either, Brooks’ new musical, Young Frankenstein, takes over The St. James Theatre after The Producers’ final performance.
Don’t procrastinate on seeing this ostensibly funny, and now legendary, Broadway musical. Get your tickets today at telecharge.com.
