Mel Brooks’ award-winning musical ‘The Producers’ is being brought to the Isle of Man by Douglas Choral Union with help from SMP Partners.
The show, which is set to be a sell-out, has a long run at the Gaiety Theatre of 11 performances from 6th May. The highly-respected Tony Finnegan, who has worked on both stage and screen productions, comes to the Island to take the helm as director, having previously worked on DCU’s hit Jesus Christ Superstar.
The show centres around two down-and-out producers who scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. The duo set out to make the worst play possible and hilarity ensues.
The Producers has been made for film twice as well as running on Broadway and in the West End for six years, winning 12 Tony awards and three Laurence Olivier awards.
Tony Finnegan said: ‘It’s an honour to be bringing this fantastic musical to the Isle of Man and we’re very grateful to SMP Partners and all our sponsors for their support. Being able to enjoy award-winning shows on the Island makes the theatre much more accessible to our community.
‘The Producers is a laugh-a-minute musical to watch and so much fun to perform; the cast are in hysterics at every rehearsal, so I’m sure that audiences at the Gaiety will thoroughly enjoy it.’
A bucket collection at the end of the performance on 16th May will raise money for SMP Partners’ Charity of the Year, Alzheimer’s Society.
SMP Partners has supported many major productions at the Gaiety Theatre, including The Phantom of the Opera, CATS, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oliver!, the Wizard of Oz and Miss Saigon.
In January SMP Partners increased its support of the arts on the Island with sponsorship of the King’s Court Theatre at King William’s College.
Mark Denton, Managing Director of SMP Partners, said: ‘We are long-time supporters of the arts on the Island and Douglas Choral Union, and we are always thrilled with the level of amateur dramatic talent our community has nurtured. The Producers is such a well-known production and linked to so many amazing actors, from Gene Wilder in the 1968 film to Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in the 2005 remake.
‘As part of our active role in the community, SMP Partners supports the theatre not only because of the enjoyment for audiences, but also because of the opportunities and experience it offers cast and crew.’
The Producers runs at the Gaiety Theatre from 6th to 20th May. Tickets, priced from ?23, are available online from www.villagaiety.com.
