Mel Brooks’ The Producers

When down-on-his-luck producer Max Bialystock and his nervous accountant Leo Bloom realize they could make more money from a flop than a hit, they set out to create the worst musical in Broadway history. The problem is that their guaranteed disaster becomes a sensation, and suddenly the scam of the century turns into a full-scale theatrical train wreck in the best possible way. What follows is a gloriously unhinged parade of bad ideas, big personalities, and laugh-out-loud chaos.

Based on Mel Brooks’s legendary film, The Producers became a Broadway phenomenon, winning a record 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It features a showstopping score by Mel Brooks, a book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan, and unforgettable numbers including “I Wanna Be a Producer,” “When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It,” “Keep It Gay,” and the outrageously infamous “Springtime for Hitler.”

Critics greeted it like the comic explosion it is. Variety said it delivered “more belly laughs per minute than any new musical in years,” while The New York Times called it “the real thing.”