Protester Urges Olney Theatre to Close Production of THE PRODUCERS Due to Hitler Jokes; Actor Responds

Controversy is brewing at the Olney Theatre in their latest production of THE PRODUCERS. Several weeks into the run of the show, the company management and actors began receiving messages via email and Twitter from a man who thought it was insppropriate to joke about such sensitive material as Hitler. He began protesting outside the theater with signs such as, "SAY NO TO HITLER MUSICAL," and "HITLER NO JOKE."

In his blog, this protester urges the Olney Theatre to "Take It Down", stating: "While our nation is under attack by white supremacist terrorists from Confederates and their Nazi allies, the Olney Theatre Center (OTC) in Olney, Maryland suburbs of Washington DC has decided now is a good time to have a "satire" with the hate symbol of Adolf Hitler, and a musical number to Adolf Hitler."

He further states:

"We need you to urge [the theater] to end the scenes in the Olney Theatre presentation about Adolf Hitler and the twisted "comedy" of "Springtime for Hitler." They will tell you it is a satire. They will tell you it is their artistic freedom. They will get Mel Brooks and theater reviewers to defend how "funny" it is. Mr. Brooks, actors, and comedians have a right to their personal twisted sense of humor. But when symbols of racist hatred are displayed in public areas, mocking the tragedies the world has suffered, they need to take their sense of "humor" elsewhere. ... TELL THEM "ENOUGH." ... TELL THEM "TAKE IT DOWN."

Actor of the show, Brandon Ambrosino, responds via Tablet Magazine, saying, in part:

"But of course context matters. Brooks wasn't trying to whitewash Hitler, and he certainly wasn't trying to glorify him. As Brooks has often explained, he saw it as his goal to mock Hitler. "You can't get on a soapbox with these orators, because they're very good at convincing the masses they're right," he said in an interview. "But if you can make them look ridiculous, then you can win over the people." If he was going to go toe to toe with Hitler, he had to rely on the only weapon he had to annihilate his opponent: comedy."

Ambrosino encourages people "don't forget to laugh" and says, "It was clear that the protester outside The Producers had only "skimmed" the show, and as a result, had no idea about the power of Brooks' ironic voice."

Read Brandon Ambrosino's full response to this controversy on Tablet Magazine here.

Olney Theatre Center, a Mid-Atlantic destination for extraordinary theater performance and education, brings Mel Brooks' The Producers to the Washington DC region for the first time in a professional production since the 2004 National Tour. Broadway veterans Michael Kostroff (Max Bialystock) and Jason Graae (Roger de Bris) headline the cast, running June 24 - July 26, 2015 on the Mainstage.

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