The story behind The Producers

First hitting the silver screen in 1967, The Producers is a film written and directed by Hollywood legend Mel Brooks. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the movie, and in the 1990s, began to work on a musical version with playwright Thomas Meehan. The Producers Musical debuted on Broadway in April 2001, and toured extensively until 2015, winning several Tony and Laurence Olivier Awards in the process. Now the production returns to London in its first major revival, playing at the Menier Chocolate Factory between 9 December 2024 and 1 March 2025. But what’s the story behind The Producers live?

Act I

The show opens with one-time Broadway king Max Bialystock as his star wanes. After his musical version of Hamlet flops, his accountant Leo Bloom comes to audit his books. In the process the pair discover that it’s possible to make more money from producing a Broadway flop than a hit. They hatch a plan to trick elderly women into investing in the worst musical they can find, produce the work for one night, and then escape to Rio de Janeiro with the cash. They find a suitably awful play - titled Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden - and a failing director named Roger De Bris, and Max raises the $2 million they need to fund it.

Act II

As casting begins, Leo and his Swedish clerical assistant Ulla begin to fall in love. On opening night, Leo curses the production by wishing everyone good luck, and their lead actor, Franz, falls down the stairs, breaking his leg. Roger stands in to play the part of Hitler, and Max and Leo sneak away after the opening number. Unfortunately, however, Roger plays the role with such flamboyance that the show becomes a surprise hit. 

Back in the office, Max and Leo are horrified to read positive reviews of the show and, worried they’ll be found out by the tax man, they begin fighting over the accounting books. Franz then bursts in threatening to shoot Max and Leo. The police are called and Franz and Max are arrested as Leo hides. Ulla finds him and persuades him to take the $2 million and escape with her to Rio. 

As Max awaits his trial, he receives a postcard from Leo, who is now in Rio with Ulla. The day of the trial arrives, and although he is found ‘incredibly guilty’, Leo and Ulla arrive just in time to return the stolen money and plead Max’s case. The judge, touched by their friendship, sends both producers and Franz to Sing Sing prison, where they write a new musical, Prisoners of Love. It becomes a Broadway hit, finally making Max and Leo successful producers.

The latest London version of The Producers is directed by Tony Award winner Patrick Marber and features choreography from Broadway veteran Lorin Latarro. If you’d like to get your hands on some tickets - which are selling fast - book now with KX Tickets.