The stage adaptation of Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” is the most honored Broadway musical in history, having won 12 Tony Awards in 2001.
Based on the 1968 film starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, it ran for 2,502 performances while spawning its own hit film adaptation in 2005 starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, as well as a series of national touring productions that have grossed more than $215 million.
On Friday, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre opens the first homegrown, metro-area production of the stage spectacular about two producers who scheme to get rich by putting on a Broadway flop that will close so fast, they can abscond with all the unspent money that’s been invested in it.
We talked with director Michael J. Duran about BDT’s milestone staging:
Q: The significance of this staging is evident, but are you approaching it any differently than you would any other musical?
A: Initially, I have to admit there was a bit of the intimidation factor involved in tackling a show of this size. So I just put my head down and started to deal with it like I deal with any show: One problem at a time. Starting with the casting, which, in my book, is 90 percent of the job. Actually the casting is what helped me make the choice to do this show in the first place. I knew we had the right people for the job.
Q: Is it true that stars Wayne Kennedy and Scott Beyette have worked together at BDT for 20 years, and yet have never before been paired on stage in any significant way?
A: Yes, and I couldn’t believe that Scott and Wayne had never worked opposite each other before. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a match made in heaven. They have been working together for many years, and like any long relationship they can almost end each other’s sentences, theatrically speaking.
They each know how the other works, and what the other actor needs. It’s been an amazing collaboration.
Q: How do you expect them to fare following in the daunting footsteps of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick?
A: They will each bring their own unique talents to these roles and truly make them their own. Unless an actor is lucky enough to “create” a role, he will always be compared to the original. I know Nathan was always asked about being compared to Zero Mostel. What are you gonna do?
Q: Through any current prism, Mel Brooks’ humor is shockingly dated, patently offensive and yet still outrageously funny. How in the world does a show like this work?
A: Funny is funny, and I think that it is so outrageous that all you can do is laugh. Plus, it’s just what you expect from Mel Brooks. People know what they’re going to get from him. He approaches his humor from a very unique point of view. And it is unbiased. It has been billed as an equal-opportunity offender, and he does not disappoint.
Q: The last few months have been a rough time for BDT at the door. How important for you is it for “The Producers” to be a hit?
A: It is very important, and as opening weekend is nearly sold out, and pre-sale for the rest of the run is strong, we’re confident this show is headed in that direction. The bottom line is, we are a “for-profit” theatre and we rely solely on “butts in seats.” We don’t receive money from SCFD, or any other funding.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“The Producers”
Musical. Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 5501 Arapahoe Ave. Written by Mel Brooks. Starring Wayne Kennedy, Scott Beyette and Zina Mercil. Friday-March 7. 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 7:45 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 1:45 and 7:45 p.m. Sundays (dinner service 90 minutes before). $35-$55. 303-449-6000, .
Actor Wayne Kennedy: In his own words
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“What an amazing treat to literally step into one of the Mel Brooks films I grew up with. The real treat for me, though, is to play opposite my extremely funny and talented friend, Scott Beyette for the first time in 18 years.” — Wayne Kennedy (plays Max Bialystock; most recently Thenardier in the Arvada Center’s “Les Miserables”).
The story: A broken-down Broadway producer and his accountant set out to produce the worst Broadway show of all time — and abscond with the investments. But what if that show’s a hit?
The intrigue: This will be the first metro staging of the Broadway sensation that won a record 12 Tony awards.
This week’s video podcast: Running Lines with . . . Zina Mercil
This week, John Moore visits with the actor who plays the statuesque singer-secretary Ulla in the first metro-area staging of “The Producers,” at Boulder’s Dinner Theatre. Run time: 9 minutes.
