"What better way to begin this spectacular season than with the musical that has won more Tony Awards than any other show in history," said Barry Ivan, NSMT's new Artistic Director and Executive Producer. "We are also paying tribute this season to the legendary Tony Award-winning Susan Stroman who originally directed and choreographed THE PRODUCERS for Broadway, making it a perfect fit."
Based on the hit 1968 film of the same name, this Mel Brooks masterpiece chronicles the hilarious adventures of washed-up Broadway producer Max Bialystock and his mild-mannered accountant Leo Bloom, as they scheme to get rich quick by producing the most notorious flop in the history of showbiz. What they don't know is that after all their hard work, the musical ends up being a smash hit! It's a comic tour-de-force that spoofs the big, old-fashioned Broadway musical while paying tribute to it at the same time. The classic score contains such gems as "I Wanna Be A Producer," "When You Got It, Flaunt It," "Springtime for Hitler," and "Prisoners of Love." With a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, THE PRODUCERS will have audiences laughing out loud.
"The Producers unites the audience with its jokes, sight gags and over-the-top musical numbers," remarked Ivan. "Leave it to Mel Brooks to create an outrageous musical comedy featuring tap dancing old ladies, a kick line of German soldiers, and leggy show girls- all on one stage!"
This uproarious comedy stars Scott Davidson as down-and-out producer Max Bialystock, Jim Stanek as Max's timid accountant Leo Bloom and Amy Bodnar as Ulla, the Swedish bombshell that Bialystock and Bloom hire as their receptionist. Most recently, Davidson has appeared on Broadway in Hairspray and in the roles of Franz Liebkind and Roger Debris in the national touring companies of The Producers. The ‘Bloom' to Davidson's ‘Bialystock,' Jim Stanek comes to NSMT fresh off his featured role in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at New York's Westside Theatre. Stanek also originated the role Louis de Pointe Du Lac in Elton John's musical Lestat, and was featured in the Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, in Indiscretions with Kathleen Turner, and in the off-Broadway production of Frankenstein. Amy Bodnar has appeared on Broadway in Ragtime and Oklahoma and has appeared in the national tour of The Scarlet Pimpernel.
The cast of THE PRODUCERS also features Stuart Marland (Roger DeBris), Patrick Wetzel (Franz Liebkind), and Fred Berman (Carmen Ghia). The ensemble includes Noah Aberlin, Kristi Ambrosetti, Gale Bennett, Joel Briel, Kyle Brown, Jameson Cooper, Ashley deZeeuw, Veronica DiPerna, Madeleine Doherty, C.K. Edwards, Valerie Fagan, Tim Falter, Leslie Flesner, Alexa Glover, Shari Jordan, and Robin Lewis.
The creative team includes Bill Burns (Director/Choreographer) who served as Resident Director and Choreographer for a U.S. national tour and Las Vegas company of The Producers, NSMT Resident Musical Supervisor Dale Rieling (Musical Director), Campbell Baird (Scenic Designer), Jack Mehler (Lighting Designer), John A. Stone (Sound Designer), Gerard Kelly (Wig Designer), Mungioli Theatricals/Arnold J. Mungioli, C.S.A. (Casting), Michael Gacetta (Assistant Musical Director), Laurie Silipigno (Production Stage Manager), and Alicia Reese (Assistant Stage Manager). -- www.nsmt.org
