The Producers at The Argyle Theatre

When The Producers came to Broadway starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick as the infamous characters Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, it had audiences laughing so hard they could barely catch their breath.Bialystock is a once-successful Broadway producer in the middle of a dry spell. His accountant Bloom tallies the numbers of their current flop. Devious Max realizes he could make more money by producing a deliberate flop and over-selling a piece of the action to unsuspecting investors.Bialystock finds an incredibly offensive script, Springtime for Hitler written by an ex-Nazi and begins to seduce his backersall little old ladiesout of millions of dollars. He auditions and hires bad actors and a bad director, and even tells the actor who plays Hitler to gay it up.In the first minutes of Springtime for Hitler, members of the outraged audience start walking out. Then the Hitler character takes the stage, and people decide the play is a funny satire. Miraculously Springtime for Hitler is a huge success. But this hilarious cult comedy doesnt stop there. The rest of the story involves the IRS, tax fraud, prison time, and a happy ending. The Producers dominated the 2001 Tony Awards, setting a record for most nominations15then setting the record again for most awards won with 12, including Best Musical, Score, Book, Director, and Actor (Nathan Lane), and all the musical design awards.

Authors

• Mel Brooks
• Thomas Meehan

Tony Awards and Nominations for The Producers