Zero Mostel News

Great theater requires a willing suspension of disbelief.  'The Producers' by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan requires a willing embrace of 1940's Catskill schlock and shtick.  That said, MTH's 'The Producers' is so much inspired silliness, so well performed, and so meticulously put together, it is tough to stop giggling and smirking and groaning at the awful, hysterical, politically in-correct, funny, one-liners.   The Saturday night, Crown Center audience for 'The Producers' thoroughly embarrassed itself and was delighted to do so.

"It's kind of like I'm playing my grandparents,' said Hoffman, one of the cast members who learned Yiddish for this singular production.

It is almost fifty years since the original Mel Brooks film and seventeen since the Broadway stage version of Mel Brook's hilarious and outrageously funny, totally incorrect musical, The Producers, hit the stage. And despite it, or perhaps because of the contentious climate in which we live, this glorious tonic of laughter and colorful characters still rings true and commands a wrapt audience. Biddeford city Theater's production, directed by Linda Sturdivant, provides a glorious afternoon escape into the world of parody, spoof, and Broadway innuendo. The production is a large one for this ambitious community theatre, and they rise admirably to the challenge. Sturdivant directs and produces with a sure hand and a very balanced sense of humor - Mel Brooks requires a deft touch, despite the overt quality of his comedy. She expertly captures the iconic moments, keeps the stage pace, moves the action, and helps the cast establish the colorful characters.

Moriah College, Sydney's oldest and largest Jewish school, presents the definitive production of the classic Broadway musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF from 21 October to 1 November - and with an all-singing, all-dancing cast of more than 150. It's a Tradition!

Goodreads Press has published the second edition of Susan L. Schulman's popular memoir, BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY.  Sub-titled 'MORE True Tales of a Theatre Press Agent,' the second edition includes several new chapters, expanded stories and additional never-before-seen photos from the author's personal collection.

On Thursday, June 16th, 1904 a young man and his new belle spent their first day together wandering the streets of Dublin. The experience had such a profound impact on him that over the following 2 decades he commemorated the milestone by writing a fictional account about the lives of a group of Dubliners on that eventful day. The young man was James Joyce, that day is now universally known as Bloomsday, and his immortal novel, is Ulysses.

Audra McDonald has 'no words' for the latest in a long line of honors for the record-breaking Tony winner. This week, the city of Fresno honored the stage icon with her very own street naming ceremony! Check out the unveiling below!

Actress and singer Audra McDonald stopped by The Talk to discuss what she loves about CBS All Access Original Series The Good Fight, as well as her admiration for co-star Christine Baranski, who plays Diane Lockhart on the show. Watch all-new episodes of The Talk Weekdays on CBS and CBS All Access.

After Audra McDonald and Billy Eichner share their experiences of watching 'Starlight Express' as their first Broadway show, James asks Billy Eichner about meeting one of Barbra Streisand's dogs and learns why Audra would never consider cloning her own dog.

What happens when you try to turn movies such as 'A Quiet Place,' 'The Shape of Water' and the classic film 'Taxi Driver' into musicals? On last night's Late Late Show, Audra McDonald and Dan Stevens joined James Corden in doing just that! Watch the clip below!

On this day in 1962, Stephen Sondheim's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM opened on Broadway!

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre's springtime staging of The Producers will present audiences the spectacle of one of Broadway's great farces on the intimate Portsmouth stage.

Tony Award nominee Bryce Pinkham (Holiday Inn, A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder) and Drama Desk Award winner Jim Brochu (Character Man, Zero Hour) will join forces as an odd couple of writers in 1931 Hollywood in the new play PAGE COUNT by Kerr Lockhart. An industry reading is scheduled for Monday, May 14 at 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM at 353 Studios (353 West 48th Street, Studio 3).

It's been a long time since I've had this much fun at any show.

Austin Pendleton and Barbara Bleier return to downtown's hideaway, Pangea, in June, with STARTING HERE,- The Songs of Richard Maltby and David Shire. There are three performances scheduled: June 7, 21, and 28th at 7pm. Pendleton has been friends with Maltby and Shire since they were all undergraduates at Yale in the 1960's, and had appeared in several of their student productions

Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera that tells the story of the final week in the life of Jesus Christ. It begins with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem and ends with the crucifixion. It also highlights the political and interpersonal struggles between Jesus and one of his 12 apostles, Judas Iscariot that are not present in the Bible narratives.

Older character men hungry for fresh scenery to chew will certainly look forward to the day when Shem Bitterman's The Stone Witch becomes available for regional and amateur productions.

Last night at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, the acoustically perfect Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. Concert Hall was host to one of the most beautiful voices on the planet...that of five time Tony-Award winner Audra McDonald.

The Waterville Opera House (WOH) is proud to present one of the most outrageously offensive and off-the-wall musicals ever to be made - The Producers the musical! Adapted from Mel Brooks' 1968 classic comedy staring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel, this maniacal, musical movie adaptation will have the audience staring in amazement and roaring with laughter on opening night Friday, April 6, 2018. Don't miss this buzzworthy show, it's sure to close by Sunday, April 15, 2018!

In 2002, The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre opened its season with a set of new owners and the hilarious musical comedy farce A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Sixteen years later, the Kiska family, who purchased the theatre in 2002, and Way Off Broadway are very excited to see the return of one of the funniest shows to ever appear on the WOB stage. Forum will continue the theatre's 2018 Mega-Mini Season, running March 23rd - May 19th.