The musical adaptation of the movie model of The Producers is one in all Mel Brooks’ biggest successes, however the veteran comic has revealed it practically didn’t occur. He wasn’t positive his 1967 film wanted any tunes, and needed to be persuaded by a persistent producer.
Brooks informed The Guardian newspaper that solely when producer David Geffen saved calling did he lastly conform to the project. He recalled:
“David Geffen called me every day. I said, ‘David, it’s a perfectly good little movie. I won the Academy Award for my screenplay. It’s been honored and saluted enough. There’s no reason to make it a musical.’ Then the next day, he called me again. He never stopped calling me. And finally, I said, ‘Well, he’s not a dumb guy, so maybe there is something.’”
Once Brooks had agreed to the musical, he co-wrote the present with the late Thomas Meehan, and Brooks additionally wrote the rating, together with the memorable music quantity Springtime for Hitler. The outrageous plot follows failing impresario Max Bialystock who plans to stage a Broadway flop and acquire on buyers’ cash. With that in thoughts, he creates a homage to the Nazi chief, assuming no viewers would tolerate such a factor and the present would promptly have to shut. We know the remainder…
On its Broadway debut in 2001, The Producers received 12 Tony Awards, with The New York Times calling it “a sublimely ridiculous spectacle.”
The present has been seen around the globe and is about to be staged at London’s Garrick Theatre, the place Brooks beforehand loved success with the musical comedy Young Frankenstein.
This week Brooks paid tribute to actor Gene Hackman, who appeared within the 1974 movie model of the spoof horror. Brooks stated:
“I was privileged to know Gene Hackman because he played tennis with another Gene—Gene Wilder. And that Gene told him about a little role called The Blind Hermit in our movie YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN,” wrote Brooks on X. “He said, ‘Do you think Mel would let me play it? I’ve always wanted to do a comedy.’ Needless to say, I was over the moon and he was perfect.”