London's The Producers to Close in January 2007

The London production of the Mel Brooks musical The Producers will not have been a flop when it closes. Nonetheless, the production is set to end its run at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on January 6th, 2007.

Currently starring Cory English as Max Bialystock and Reece Shearsmith as Leo Bloom, The Producers opened on the West End on November 9th, 2004. It starred Nathan Lane--reprising his Tony Award-winning Broadway triumph--and Lee Evans upon opening. Richard Dreyfuss had originally been slated to fill the role of the excitable Bialystock, but announced health reasons as the cause of his withdrawal.

The Producers is the winner of three Olivier Awards--for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Lane), and Best Supporting Performance in a Musical (Conleth Hill). The London cast of The Producers also currently stars Rachel McDowall as Ulla, Nicholas Colicos as Franz Liebkind, Don Gallagher as Roger De Bris and Stephen Matthews as Carmen Ghia.

Based on Brooks' Academy Award-winning 1968 film of the same name, "The Producers is the story of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer, Max Bialystock, and Leo Bloom, a mousy accountant. Together they hatch the ultimate scam: raise more money than you need for a sure-fire Broadway flop and pocket the difference. Their 'sure-fire' theatrical fiasco?. . . None other than the musical Springtime for Hitler," according to press notes.

The musical, which originally starred Lane and Matthew Broderick on Broadway, features a Tony Award-winning book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan, Tony Award-winning music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, and Tony Award-winning direction and choreography by Susan Stroman. The musical also includes Tony Award-winning set design by Robin Wagner, Tony Award-winning costume design by William Ivey Long, Tony Award-winning lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski, and sound design by Steve Kennedy. It continues its long run at the St. James Theatre, where it opened in April of 2001.

A recent film version reunited Lane, Broderick, Roger Bart and Gary Beach, and also featured Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell. It was also directed and choreographed by Stroman.

Visit www.producersonbroadway.com for more information on The Producers.