Beck Center Presents THE PRODUCERS 7/16-8/22

Beck Center for the Arts is proud to present the Tony Award-winning "boffo" hit musical, The Producers, on the Mackey Main Stage, July 16 through August 22, 2010. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays.

It's 1959, and a new musical by Broadway producer Max Bialystock flops, closing after just one performance. Enter mousy accountant, Leo Bloom, who discovers that under the right circumstances a producer can actually make more money with a flop than with a hit. Max convinces Leo to enter a scheme to produce the worst flop ever, Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgarden, and bilk investors to the benefit of Max and Leo's bank accounts.

Based on the classic Mel Brooks' 1968 cult comedy film, The Producers was a huge hit on Broadway, winning a record 12 Tony Awards. The New York Times calls The Producers "fast, fierce, shameless, vulgar and altogether blissful."

Beck's production of The Producers welcomes the Beck debut of its two stars. Mark Heffernan, who plays Max Bialystock, is an Emmy Award-winning producer through his work with the Cleveland Cavaliers and WJW FOX-8. Brandon Isner, who recently returned to Ohio after 12 years in New York City, ends his decade-long retirement from the stage to portray Leo Bloom. This is also the Beck debut of Choreographer Mary Ann Black, well-known locally for her exceptional work at Porthouse Theatre.

"How could I not want to direct the musical version of my all-time favorite comedy film!? The movie's stars, Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, were like gods to me growing up," says Director Scott Spence. "It is my privilege to watch Mssrs. Bialystock and Bloom cavort across Beck's stage along with 40 other cast members playing 160 roles. Madness! Mayhem! Mel Brooks at his very best."

Tickets are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors (65 and older), $17 for students (with valid ID), and $10 for children (12 and under). An additional $3 service fee per ticket is applied at the time of purchase. Preview night on Thursday, July 15, is $10 with general admission seating. Group discounts are available for parties of 13 or more.

For tickets, call the Beck Center box office at 216.521.2540, ext. 10, or purchase seats online at www.beckcenter.org. Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available.

Beck Center's production of The Producers is produced through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and is sponsored by Maloney + Novotny LLC, Ulmer & Berne LLP, West Roofing Systems, Cox Communications, the Ohio Arts Council, and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional Theater Productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for special needs students, and gallery exhibits featuring regional artists.

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