Tony Danza to Be a Producer on Broadway?

TV, theatre and cabaret star Tony Danza may be returning to Broadway this winter.

According to Page Six in today's New York Post, "After his talk show was canceled last year, he flew back to Los Angeles where his wife and kids were waiting. But Danza is now in talks to play Max Bialystock - the role Nathan Lane made famous, and which is now being played by John Treacy Egan - in The Producers on Broadway. Danza's rep confirmed the 'preliminary discussions' and added, 'It would be for three months, from December to February.'"

Danza has appeared on Broadway in The Iceman Cometh and A View from the Bridge, as well as Johnny Boy at the Falcon.  The actor, who is well-known for his work on such TV shows as "Taxi" and "Who's the Boss," has also been seen on screen and on TV in Crash, "The Practice," "The Tony Danza Show," "12 Angry Men," Angels in the Outfield, A Brooklyn State of Mind, and Cannonball Run II, among others.  He has also performed as a cabaret singer, and was most recently seen at L.A.'s Falcon Theatre in I Remember You.

The Producers, which opened on April 19, 2001 and is the recipient of the most Tony Awards in theater history (with 12 wins), currently stars Egan as Max Bialystock, Hunter Foster as Leo Bloom, Lee Roy Reams as Roger DeBris, Brad Musgrove as Carmen Ghia, Bill Nolte as Franz Liebkind and Angie Schworer as Ulla.

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 Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, features a Tony Award-winning book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, Tony Award-winning music and lyrics by 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.

An abridged Las Vegas production of The Producers, starring David Hasselhoff and Brad Oscar, will begin January 31st, 2007.

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