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From the twisted mind of Mel Brooks, Studio Theatre of Bath proudly presents the smash musical "The Producers", October 10-20 at the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath.

Once called "the King of Broadway", theater producer Max Bialystock is down on his luck. He's had a string of flops, all funded by "lonely little old lady investors" that gladly write him checks in return for "sexual favors". His latest show "Funny Boy: A Musical Version of Hamlet" is so bad that it closes after one night.

Mousy accountant Leo Bloom arrives the next day to audit Max's books and discovers that under the right circumstances "a producer can make more money with a flop than a hit". Max proposes a scheme: "Step 1: We find the worst play ever written. Step 2: We hire the worst director in town. Step 3: We raise two million dollars... One for me, one for you. There's a lot of little old ladies out there! Step 4: We hire the worst actors in New York and open on Broadway, and before you can say Step 5: We close on Broadway, take our two million, and go to Rio." Leo very reluctantly agrees. Everything seems to be going perfectly, except for one problem: the show turns out to be a smash hit.

"The Producers" is in many ways considered Mel Brooks' masterpiece, bursting at the seams with his signature brand of comedy made famous in classic films like "Blazing Saddles", "Spaceballs", and "Young Frankenstein". Adapted from his 1967 film starring Zero Mostel & Gene Wilder, the show opened on Broadway in 2001 (starring Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick) and ran for over 2,500 performances, winning a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards.

This production is directed by John Willey, with music direction by Courtney Babbidge, and choreography by Ashley Steeves. The cast is large, featuring dozens of regional stage veterans, and highlighted by dancers from the Resurgence Dance Company. There are over 165 costumes, coordinated by a team of costumers under the direction of Cathy Matero. Marc Rodriguez is the show's producer.

This show is cleaner than much of what you would see on prime-time television, but has some adult language & situations. Performances are October 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees on October 13 & 20 at 2 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $18 at the door and can be purchased online at https://www.chocolatechurcharts.org/2019-2020-data/2019/10/11/the-producers or at the Chocolate Church box office. For more information please call the Chocolate Church at (207) 442-8455 or message Studio Theatre of Bath on Facebook.

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