The premiere of the Broadway musical comedy "The Producers" at the Plovdiv Opera

The Plovdiv Opera presents the premiere of the Broadway musical The Producers by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan on March 28. The comedy is an adaptation of the Oscar-winning film for Best Original Screenplay, and the Broadway production won a record 12 Tony Awards!

The show in Plovdiv is directed by Nina Naydenova, conducted by Konstantin Dobroykov, choreographed by Boriana Sechanova, designed by set designer Elitsa Georgieva, costume designer Nikolina Kostova-Bogdanova, and video designer Petko Tanchev. The translation is by Tsvetomira Tsoneva.

The lead roles are played by the expressive actor and opera singer Georgi Dinev, the familiar face of the Bulgarian musical scene Viktor Ibrishimov, guest from the Plovdiv Theater Todor Darlanov, actor with dozens of Hollywood film roles Atanas Srebrev, soloists Mark Fowler, Alexander Baranov, and Evgeny Arabadzhiev. TV presenter Natali Trifonova makes her stage debut in the role of Ulla, originally played by Uma Thurman in the 2005 film. They are joined by the soloists, orchestra, choir, and ballet of the Plovdiv Opera.

The comedy tells the story of two theatrical producers who devise a scheme to get rich by selling too many shares in a Broadway musical intentionally created to fail. However, their plan goes awry when their show Springtime for Hitler unexpectedly becomes a hit. Where did they go wrong?

Author Mel Brooks is a multiple award winner and one of 21 artists to have won the EGOT — the "Emmy," "Grammy," "Oscar," and "Tony" awards. Three of his films are included in the American Film Institute's top 100 comedies of all time. A virtuoso of self-irony and satire, Brooks jokes about various topics in The Producers—race, gender, religion—but most of all about the Broadway business itself.

"Smile at the world, and it will smile back at you," says the main character—producer Max Bialystok! This is also the central theme for the creative team at the Plovdiv Opera. "Drenched in laughter, we sought our truth in themes such as sweet deceptions and scams, the differences between all of us in their most colorful depictions, but also the theme of fanaticism in its greatest ambition, like 'Who will rule the world!?' says director Nina Naydenova.

The original Broadway production opened in April 2001, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. The musical inspired a successful West End production that ran for over two years, national tours in the USA and the UK, numerous international productions, and a 2005 film adaptation starring Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, and Uma Thurman. The Producers will return with a new production in London in the summer of 2025.

The premiere in Bulgaria is presented by agreement with Music Theatre International, mtishows.eu. The production is supported financially by the Ministry of Culture.

The next premiere dates are April 10 and 23. Tickets are available at the Plovdiv Opera box office, the Eventim ticket outlets, eventim.bg, and grabo.bg.