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Vegas Producers — with Oscar, Hasselhoff and Raben — Opens Feb. 9
By Kenneth Jones
09 Feb 2007
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Brad Oscar
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The new Las Vegas production of the Broadway smashzilla The Producers officially opens Feb. 9 after previews since Jan. 31.
Audiences at the Paris Las Vegas resort are experiencing a lean 90-minute version of the Mel Brooks-Thomas Meehan show directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. For marquee value, they have David Hasselhoff ("Baywatch") playing the flamboyant Roger DeBris.
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It's not the first time Las Vegas has seen showgirls descending a staircase, but it may be the first time they've been wearing skimpy costumes representing beer steins, knackwurst and the Third Reich.
On Jan. 31, Glitter Gulch welcomed Springtime for Hitler, the buoyantly gaudy show within the 12-time Tony Award-winning musical.
The company also boasts Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar as obnoxious Max, Larry Raben as nebbishy Leo, Leigh Zimmerman as comely Ulla, Rich Affannato as Carmen Ghia and Fred Applegate as Franz Liebkind with Melanie Allen, Jim Ambler, Nancy Beard, Steven Ted Beckler, Gail Bennett, Patrick Boyd, Jen Lee Crowl, Erica Hamilton, Daniel Herron, Chris Holly, Shari Jordan, Katrina Loncaric, Kimmie Louwsma, Sinclair Mitchell, Nick Santa Maria, Jessica Sheridan, Alet Taylor, Matthew Vargo, Erick Walck and Kent Zimmerman.
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In addition to internal libretto trims, songs or pieces of songs in the Tony-winning score have been cut.
Why a 90-minute Producers when the two-and-a-half-hour show has been a Broadway smash since 2001? The general wisdom in producing circles is that antsy, distracted, gaming-minded crowds in Las Vegas don't want to invest too much time or thought in the apparently passive act of theatregoing, so the writing — the craft — gets slashed to accommodate the masses.
Avenue Q, Hairspray and The Phantom of the Opera have been edited for time there, but the long-running Mamma Mia! is seen in its full two-act version in Vegas, where spandex, glitter and ABBA are apparently catnip to tourists.
A spokesman for the Vegas Producers confirmed the following numbers from the original Broadway score have been removed for the Las Vegas production:
Act One, Scene 4: "We Can Do It" Reprise (Max & Leo)
Act One, Scene 6: "Der Guten Tag Hop Clop" (Franz, Max, Leo)
Act One, Scene 9: Act One Finale (All)
Act Two, Scene 1: "That Face" (Leo, Ulla, Max)
Act Two, Scene 3: "You Never Say 'Good Luck' on Opening Night" (Roger, Max, Carmen, Leo,
Franz)
Act Two, Scene 5: "Where Did We Go Right?" (Max, Leo)
Act Two, Scene 6: "Betrayed" (Max)
Act Two, Scene 7: Max's section of "'Til Him" (Max)
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The Mel Brooks-Thomas Meehan musical comedy opened on Broadway on April 19, 2001, to rave reviews, and is the recipient of the most Tony Awards in Broadway history (12, including Best Musical). It's based on Mel Brooks' Academy Award-winning 1968 film of the same name.
The show tells the story of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer Max Bialystock (Brad Oscar) and Leo Bloom (Larry Raben), a mousy accountant. Together, with the help of their flamboyant director, Roger DeBris (David Hasselhoff), they hatch the ultimate scam: to raise more money than they need for a sure-fire Broadway flop and pocket the difference. Their "sure-fire" theatrical fiasco is called Springtime for Hitler!.
The Producers has a Tony Award-winning book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, Tony Award-winning lyrics by Mel Brooks, and Tony Award-winning direction and choreography by Susan Stroman. The musical also has scenic design by Robert Wagner, costume design by William Ivey Long and lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski (all Tony Award winners for their respective work).
The Producers was originally produced on the New York stage by Rocco Landesman, Live Nation, The Frankel-Baruch-Viertel-Routh Group, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Rick Steiner, Robert F.X. Sillerman and Mel Brooks in association with James D. Stern and Douglas Meyer and by special arrangement with StudioCanal.
Paris Las Vegas, known for its 50-story replica of the Eiffel Tower, is a Harrah's Entertainment resort. Tickets are now on sale for February, March and April dates of The Producers in Las Vegas.
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Paris Las Vegas box office at (877) 374-7469, or online at parislasvegas.com.
The Producers will play seven shows a week: 8 PM Monday and Tuesday, 8 PM Thursday-Sunday, with a matinee 2 PM Saturday. No performances Wednesday. Tickets range $75.50 to $143.50.
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