The Producers to Close on Broadway in April; Young Frankenstein Will Move Into St. James

The Producers will play its final Broadway performance at the St. James Theatre on Sunday, April 22. At the time of its closing, the show will have played 33 previews and 2,502 regular performances.

The next tenant at the St. James will be Young Frankenstein, which boasts the same creative team as The Producers: music by Mel Brooks, book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan based on Brooks’ film, and direction and choreography by Susan Stroman. No definite dates are set for Young Frankenstein, and casting has not yet been announced.

The Producers opened on April 19, 2001 and became the recipient of the most Tony Awards in theater history with 12 wins, including Best Musical. The original company was headed by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, along with Gary Beach, Cady Huffman, Roger Bart, and Brad Oscar. Many other stars have rotated through the Broadway production over the years, including Steven Weber, Hunter Foster, Lewis J. Stadlen, Don Stephenson, and Tony Danza, who is currently playing Max.

Two national touring companies of the show have played 74 cities throughout the United States. A Las Vegas production opened earlier this month at the Paris Las Vegas, starring Oscar (as Max), Larry Raben, Leigh Zimmerman, and David Hasselhoff.

A film version of the musical, directed by Stroman and starring Lane, Broderick, Uma Thurman, and Will Ferrell, opened in fall 2005 to disappointing reviews and did poorly at the box office. The movie was nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), but took home no awards.