VIDEO: On This Day, April 19- It's Springtime for THE PRODUCERS On Broadway

On this day in 2001, the Broadway mega-hit The Producers opened to rave reviews at the St. James Theatre!

The musical is the recipient of the most Tony Awards in theater history (with 12 wins including Best Musical). The day after its opening, The Producers broke the record for the largest single day box office gross in theater history, taking in more than $3 million, and then went on to break its own record in 2003 with over $3.5 million in single day ticket sales.

Based on Brooks' Academy Award-winning 1968 film of the same name, The Producers is the story of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer, Max Bialystock, and Leo Bloom, a mousy accountant. Together they hatch the ultimate scam: raise more money than you need for a sure-fire Broadway flop and pocket the difference. Their "sure-fire" theatrical fiasco?. . . None other than the musical Springtime for Hitler.

Two national touring companies played 74 cities throughout the United States, beginning in September 2002, and grossed over $214 million. To date, The Producers has played in numerous countries around including Budapest, Copenhagen, Italy, Korea, Spain, Mexico, Israel and Prague. A major motion picture version of the show was released by Sony Pictures in 2005.