Mel Brooks News

You will find yourself holding your sides with laughter as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom sing and dance their way through the greatest show biz scam that there ever was! (more...)

Speculation is running rampant in California with an announcement expected shortly for the casting of the Hollywood Bowl's summer musical - THE PRODUCERS. Earlier this week, BWW reported that Richard Kind revealed on Kevin Pollak's Chat Show that he was on board for the project. Now, our LA sources are buzzing that Broadway veteran Jesse Tyler Ferguson might play 'Leo Bloom' after recently tweeting: "I wanna be a producer". No official casting announcement has been made. (more...)

Richard Kind revealed he will be leading the Hollywood Bowl's THE PRODUCERS this July on the Kevin Pollak's Chat Show on Saturday. No casting has been announced officially by the production, but when asked if the engagement was set in stone, Kind said "I think so". (more...)

Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV announce that the two nonprofit theaters will formally merge effective July 1, 2012 under a new name - Virginia Repertory Theatre (Virginia Rep). With a budget exceeding $5 million, four distinct venues, and an annual audience over 550,000, Virginia Rep will become the largest professional theater and one of the largest performing arts organizations in Central Virginia along with the Richmond Ballet, Richmond Symphony, and the Virginia Opera. Barksdale and Theatre IV celebrated the announcement and the unveiling of the new Virginia Rep sign today, May 20, at the November Theatre (formerly the Empire Theatre) at 114 West Broad Street at 4:00 p.m. after the closing of Seussical, thelast mainstage childrenÂ’s production under the Theatre IV name. Virginia Rep will transition into the new organization between now and July 1. (more...)

6th Street Playhouse presents "The Producers" with book and music by Mel Brooks, lyrics and libretto by Thomas Meehan and Mel Brooks. (more...)

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre is getting ready to cut loose this summer with the dance musical Footloose. The stage production, based on the Paramount Pictures film, will open at the Frederick theatre on Friday, June 15th and run through August 25th. (more...)

The classic Mel Brooks movie is ALIVE...and it's headed to Ottawa May 25 - 26 2012! You'll have a monstrously good time at this spectacular new production, winner of the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award and the Broadway.com Audience Award for BEST MUSICAL! Don't miss the sensational cast delivering all your favorite momentsfrom the classic film, plus brand-new show-stopping numbers for the stage, including "Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and “Puttin' on the Ritz. (more...)

On June 10, 2012, The Actor's Fund will present its 16th Annual Tony Awards party at the Skirball Center, this year honoring Jason Alexander with the Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement.. Scott Bakula will host the gala and this year's Honorary Celebrity Committee includes: Julie Bowen, Nancy Dussault, Dann Florek, Elliott Gould, Steve Guttenberg, Garry Marshall, Chita Rivera, Susan Sarandon, Holland Taylor and Zachary Quinto. The event includes cocktails and a silent auction followed by ainner and a live telecast of a live feed of the Tony Awards as they happen in New York. (more...)

It’s difficult when you have an iconic show to work with such as “The Producers” currently playing at Village Theatre. The Mel Brooks classic movie turned Mel Brooks mega hit stage musical turned Mel Brooks movie musical is definitely a big piece of musical theater history. Add in huge stars like Gene Wilder, Zero Mostel, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane to that history and the result of subsequent productions can vary from bland imitation to just plain not in the same league to the other end of the spectrum with spot on awesome, but you’ll always kind of compare with the original. Well, luckily the Village production is on that latter end of the spectrum. With their couldn’t-be-better-if-they-tried cast they manage an amazing show and even a few departures along the way that only made it stronger. (more...)

Last night, May 9, VOCA PEOPLE (www.VocaPeopleNYC.com), the hit musical, welcomed “Police Academy” star and “the man of 10,000 sound effects” Michael Winslow as he joins the VOCA PEOPLE for four select performances through May 20 at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street). Mr. Winslow will perform with VOCA PEOPLE again May 13 at 5:30pm, May 14 at 8pm, May 16 at 7pm and May 17 at 7pm. Winslow blasts into this out-of-this-world musical, which combines vocal sounds, a-cappella singing, comedy and the art of beat box. See photos of Michael Winslow in VOCA PEOPLE below! (more...)

Perhaps the reason the film version of the musical The Producers did not do so well as its Tony-award winning Broadway counterpart because it lacked that special magic that only live theatre can give. Movie musicals like Hairspray have succeeded on the big screen, but the current trend seems to involve actual live performances streamed in movie theaters across the nation. And itÂ’s no wonder that people prefer the one-night-only streamed performances to Hollywoodized versions. While such broadcasts will never live up to the real thing, they contain a piece of the real thing that thrills our souls. (more...)

Recent MAC Award-winner Alison Nusbaum had audiences laughing in the narrow aisles of Don't Tell Mama with her hilarious show that paid tribute to everything Mel Brooks. Here's a review from the 2,000-Year-Old Man. (more...)

Broadway veteran Bill Starr directs Hillbarn Theatre's upcoming production of the Mel Brooks musical, The Producers, playing May 3-27. Below, Starr talks about how his own experience informed his direction of the show, what makes the show fun and unique, and what audiences can expect from Hillbarn's production. (more...)

The Way Off Broadway Children's Theatre's production of THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY runs through July 14th with performances every Saturday afternoon and the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month, with select added weekdays. See photos from the production below! (more...)

Theatre is gearing up to present Mel BrooksÂ’ multi-Tony award-winning musical production of The Producers. This is the final production in Village TheatreÂ’s 2011-2012 Mainstage Season. It previews Wednesday, May 9; opening night is Thursday, May 10 at 8PM. (more...)

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre and Children’s Theatre has announced that it will cut ticket prices now thru May 20th. The new ticket prices will be $38 for dinner and show to see the current Mainstage production of Jekyll & Hyde – The Musical and $13 for lunch and show for the Children’s Theatre’s presentation of The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley. (more...)

Today in 2001, The Producers opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 2502 performances. The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. Starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, it won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards. It spawned a successful London production running for three years, national tours, many productions worldwide and a 2005 film version. (more...)

Broadway vet Jason Alexander will guest star as AlanÂ’s cardiologist, Dr. Goodman on the 200th episode of the CBS comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN. (more...)

“Now, there’s a movie star!” quoth Eileen (Anjelica Huston) of Rebecca Duvall (special guest star Uma Thurman) following her breathy and spastic performance of a new Julia/Tom musical number for the Marilyn Monroe-based musical-within-the-show on SMASH - BOMBSHELL - titled “Dig Deep”. While last night’s “The Movie Star” episode of NBC’s musical dramedy series SMASH was light on the musical numbers - only Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Rebecca managed a musical moment - the drama was dense and delectable, with the rapport between the motley crew of characters comprising the enterprise improving by the week (and it started strong). Yet, despite the best efforts of Eileen, Tom (Christian Borle), Julia (Debra Messing) and Derek (Jack Davenport) in attempting to create a new version of the Marilyn musical that showcases her best (and limited) abilities. Rebecca is a tentative talent who lacks a lot in the vocal and dance departments - to say the least - yet it is undeniable that she also possesses a certain air of a star - perhaps because she is one; on SMASH (as in real life, given Thurman’s A-list status), a big one. Portraying the movie star trying out a Broadway show for the first - and, most likely, last - time, Thurman brings a caustic, nutsy vibe to the seemingly bipolar screen siren - “36-ish”, meaning more like 40-ish in actuality - and gives gravitas to the cartoonishly written role. Just as the Marilyn musical has shown its astonishing, chameleon-like adaptability in its iterations starring Karen and Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) - not only in its star, but also in its style, sound, mood, conception and musical arrangements - now BOMBSHELL is being retrofitted for Rebecca. But, at what cost? Stripping the show of its big Broadway leading lady musical potential and showing off the supporting cast to take the focus off of the shaky star at the center, BOMBSHELL’s “Dig Deep” yet again gave the simply astounding songwriting duo responsible for the songs of the shows-within-the-shows on SMASH (including all of the BOMBSHELL songstack heard and seen so far, as well as the glimpses at the previous Tom/Julia collaborations, HEAVEN & EARTH and THREE ON A MATCH) “Dig Deep” was a WEST SIDE STORY-esque hot jazz song complete with the syncopation and stylization implicit in the best songs of the Actors Studio era which the 50s-set scene set out to depict (Lee Strasberg and all). (more...)

Park Square Theatre offers its first Neil Simon play, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, a semi-autobiographical romp behind the scenes at the fictional 1950s “Max Prince Show,” starting June 1st. The comedy writers work to outshine each other while Max worries about the network executives and the future of his television show. (more...)