The King Of Broadway Surrenders His West End Crown

The smash Broadway phenomenon "The Producers" will play its last performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on January 6, ending a run that began on November 9, 2004. Its UK life will not end, however, as it opens in Manchester on February 18 for a 3 month run.

Adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' award winning 1968 movie starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, "The Producers" musicalizes the tale of Broadway producer Max Bialystock and wannabe producer Leo Bloom who set out to raise two million dollars for what they believe is a sure-fire flop (a musical entitled "Springtime For Hitler") so that they can pocket the advances and "go to Rio", only to find that the show is a smash - almost as big a smash as "The Producers" itself. With a book filled with classic one-liners, a catchy score, stunning Susan Stroman choreography and staging and a cast of characters that includes a sex-mad Swedish secretary, a camp director and a host of dancing grannies, Brooks' show had the ingredients of a sure-fire hit from the start. But even in his wildest dreams, Mel Brooks could not have imagined the extent of the show's success. It opened on Broadway in March 2001, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and became an instant hit, virtually sweeping the board at the Tonys with 12 awards (breaking the all-time record previously held by Hello Dolly). And within a few years productions opened in cities as diverse as Toronto, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, Copenhagen, Madrid, Tokyo, Buenos Airies, Mexico City and, of course, London.

However, the London production almost failed to get off the ground when its star, Richard Dreyfuss, was forced to withdraw just weeks before opening night. But Tony Award winner, Nathan Lane, jetted across the Atlantic at great haste and at great expense to save the day - kick-starting the show's West End success that led to Olivier Awards both for Lane himself and for the show as best musical. Since Nathan Lane and Lee Evans opened in the roles of the eponymous producers at the Theatre Royal, Bialystock and Bloom have been played by Brad Oscar/Fred Applegate/Corey English and John Gordon Sinclair/Reece Shearsmith respectively and the show has played to good houses throughout its run - but obviously not good enough to allow it to repeat the blockbuster success on Broadway, where the show continues to thrive (currently starring Tony Danza and Roger Bart).

As Drury Lane bids farewell to the King of Broadway, it prepares to welcome "The Lord Of The Rings", the epic crossover from Toronto which will aim to be the West End's next blockbuster musical from its opening date in June 2007.