It has just been officially announced that the original stars of The Producers, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, will return to the Broadway production of Mel Brooks’s Tony-sweeping musical for 112 performances, December 30, 2003 through April 4, 2004. Tickets for their return engagement go on sale on Sunday, November 16 at 12pm and may be purchased by visiting the box office at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street), by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200, or by visiting Telecharge.com.
Lane won a Tony Award for his performance as the scheming Broadway producer Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick was nominated for his work as the nebbishy accountant Leo Bloom. In addition to the return of the two stars, Tony nominee Roger Bart will once again fill his original role of Carmen Ghia, the “common law assistant” to renowned theatrical director Roger De Bris (played by Tony winner Gary Beach); and Brad Oscar, who was nominated for his portrayal of Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind, will stand by for Lane. (Oscar was Lane’s original standby and assumed the role of Max soon after Lane’s departure in 2002.) During the period of Lane and Broderick’s return, the show will feature John Treacy Egan in Oscar’s original role of Franz and Angie Schworer as Swedish bombshell secretary Ulla.
To celebrate the original stars’ return and to help ring in the new year, there will be a special gala performance of The Producers beginning at 7pm on December 31; immediately following the show, ticketholders will attend dinner in the lobby of the Minskoff Theatre, overlooking Times Square. Tickets for the New Year’s Eve performance and gala may be purchased by the general public through Telecharge beginning on Sunday, November 16, but select American Express card holders may secure tickets during a special pre-sale beginning on Sunday, November 9 at 9am by visiting www.Broadwayoffers.com/Producers or by calling 1-800-292-9465.