GOOD MORNING BROADWAY FANS? It has been the most difficult 19 ½ going on 20 months alone with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this Fall is about to have more happiness since the Big Apple is waking up. What an unforgettable timing it is now that the holiday season is just right around the corner. For all of us, it means one thing….. LET’S HAVE A PARADE!!! In just 30 DAYS from now, New York City will once again celebrate its legendary MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year’s edition is very special. Not only is the parade itself celebrating its 95th Anniversary, it once again features its traditional crowd lining the streets from Central Park, 5th Avenue, Times Square, and of course in front of that iconic Macy’s Store in Herald Square. All the legendary moments we love from the balloons, floats, marching bands, celebrities, clowns, Santa, and of course our very own Broadway’s best are joining forces to truly make this parade the most SPECTACULAR that it is making up for 2 years of lost time. As we all know, last year’s parade was an abridged version featuring pre-recorded acts, performances, and more. Going back to Broadway for a second, our Theater community has played a huge part in the parade for many years. Now that Broadway is back, we at New York Broadway Tours are pleased once again to present our TOP 30 BROADWAY AT MACY’S COUNTDOWN. From now till the day prior before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25th, 2021, we will play 30 of our favorite Broadway showstoppers from previous telecasts. You will see iconic performances from BOTH the NBC telecasts (which usually is held in Herald Square in front of that Macy’s story) and on the CBS Telecast (usually pre-recorded performances from their Theaters and around New York City). If you’re ready, here we go!!!!
Kicking off our countdown today at #30, we travel back in time to New York City in the year 1959. There, we met a legendary Broadway producer who teams up with a mousey and wimpy accountant who joins forces in a scheming plot to make more money by putting on the Greatest Musical Theatre flop ever. This is the tale of…… THE PRODUCERS. The show features a score by Mel Brooks along with a book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan. It’s based on Brooks’ 1968 film of the same name.
From the 2002 NBC telecast, TV favorite Steven Weber in the role of the mousy bank account “Leo Bloom” expresses his big real true showbiz dreams out in Herald Square. With help from his beautiful golden chorus girls, here is the cast performing the toe-tapping I WANNA BE A PRODUCER.
THE PRODUCERS was first conceived as a stage musical in 1999. Years following the success of the original 1968 film, Mel Brooks was recommended by David Geffen that he should write a full musical version of his own films. His original collaborator was originally going to be Tony winner Jerry Herman. However, he denied and encouraged Brooks’ to do the score himself since he was an amazing songwriter (plus he wrote the film’s signature tune SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER). Along with Brooks doing the score, he hired Thomas Meehan to help expand the story. In addition, husband and wife directing/choreographing duo Mike Ockrent and Susan Stroman came on board as well. However, Ockrent unexpectedly died in 1999 when Stroman continued to take on full leadership and director and choreographer by herself. The musical took 2 years of early development labs.
Following a triumphant world premiere tryout in Chicago, it officially opened on the Great White Way in 2001 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre for an incredible run of 2,502 performances. Under the direction of Susan Stroman, the cast starred…
Tony winner Nathan Lane (later Henry Goodman, Brad Oscar, Lewis J. Stalden, Tony Danza, John Treacy Egan, & Richard Kind) as “Max Bialystok,
Tony winner Matthew Broderick (later Don Stephenson, Roger Bart, Steven Weber, Hunter Foster, and Alan Ruck) as “Leo Bloom”,
Tony winner Cady Huffman (later Sarah Cornell and Angie Schwoer) as “Ulla”,
the late Tony winner Gary Beach (later John Treacy Egan, Lee Roy Reams, and Jonathan Freeman) as “Roger De Bris”,
Roger Bart (later Brooks Ashmanskas, Sam Harris, Brad Musgrove, and Jai Rodriguez) as “Carmen Ghia”,
Brad Oscar (later Jim Borstellmann, John Treacy Egan, Peter Samuel, and Bill Nolte) as “Franz Liepkind”,
and more.
The show grossed more than $3.5 million following its opening week. Lines would go all the way around the block for tickets. You could NOT get a ticket to see it. However, when both Lane and Broderick departed, the ticket sales started to go downhill. However, both actors returned to the show in 2004 for a limited 5 month engagement.
THE PRODUCERS was nominated for 15 Tony Awards that very same year winning a record breaking 12 including BEST MUSICAL. In addition, the show’s original Broadway cast recording won a 2002 Grammy Award for BEST MUSICAL SHOW ALBUM.
Following the success of the musical, a 2005 film remake (featuring the songs from the Broadway show) was made reuniting the whole original creative team, majority of the original cast (including Lane and Broderick), and several newbies to the musical. With Stroman recreating her direction and staging on film, the cast starred…
Nathan Lane reprising his Broadway performance as “Max Bialystotck”,
Matthew Broderick reprising his Broadway performance as “Leo Bloom”,
Uma Thurman as “Ulla”,
Gary Beach reprising his Broadway performance as “Roger De Bris”,
Roger Bart reprising his Broadway performance as “Carmen Ghia”,
Will Ferrell as “Franz Liepkind”,
and more.
Life after Broadway, THE PRODUCERS still went on to be a worldwide hit in London’s West End (which it won an Olivier Award for BEST NEW MUSICAL), on tour across America, and around the world. The show is still performed around the world today with various productions happening in schools, community, and regional theatres..
Isn’t this show an ultimate love letter to Broadway?!!
