Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you blithely go to Mel Brooks’ award winning musical comedy The Producers at Paris Las Vegas and wham — the production starring David Hasselhoff — yes, David Hasselhoff of Baywatch and Knight Rider fame — turns out to be as entertaining as its Broadway predecessor. (Editor's Note: David Hasselhoff is no longer with The Producers.)

Before seeing the shortened Las Vegas — one intermission — version starring  Hasselhoff I scoffed. I mean, I saw Mathew Broderick and Nathan Lane playing Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom at the St. James Theater in New York. Who, but the originals could possibly live up to those memorable performances?

For starters, Brad Oscar as Bialystock is as flamboyant and nuanced as Nathan Lane. There is even a physical resemblance, but Oscar is a consummate actor and one never feels that he is imitating the more famous thespian. Brad Oscar also played the role on Broadway as well as in London.

Max, Ulla, and Leo mainly
produce mayhem in The Producers.

The biggest surprise of the night however is 6’6” David Hasselhoff. Billed as the star of The Producers, when he makes his entrance as Roger DeBris, the gay director/choreographer wearing a beaded gown, he takes the musical to a new high. Hasselhoff is handsome, veering towards gorgeous, which suits DeBris perfectly. Playing off Rich Affannato who reprises his Broadway role as Carmen Ghia, Hasselhoff becomes a showstopper.

It's "Springtime For Hitler".

One must credit Mel Brooks and director/choreographer Susan Stroman with this unique casting twist. In the original New York version, it is Max Bialystock (Brad Oscar), the aging producer who uses a bevy of rich old biddies to fund his bombs, and Bloom (Larry Raben), the mousy accountant, who accidentally calculates that a flop can make more money for the producers than a hit, who are the show’s stars. Roger DeBris (Hasselhoff) whom they hire to direct and choreograph the worst show in history, is a pivotal character, but until now, a third banana.

Until I read Hasselhoff’s biography and realized that his childhood dream was to have a career on Broadway, and that he had been working towards that inevitability, I thought Mel Brooks had gone off his game. The actor’s biography begins, “David Hasselhoff is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘The Most Watched TV Star in the World’. It mentions that since the late 1980’s he has garnered over 40 gold and platinum records worldwide. In 2000 he made his theatrical debut in the Broadway musical, Jeckyll & Hyde, which was also filmed by Broadway Television Network and aired on HBO. Then he went on to London's West End, playing Billy Flynn in Chicago. And I thought he was just a divine beach hunk. . .

Leggy Leigh as sensational Ulla.



The zany Nazi.

Leigh Zimmerman is an American actress with a wondrous talent for making Ulla, the long-legged, white blond Swedish secretary from Sweden sound like she just stepped off a plane from the frozen north.  Zimmerman takes a difficult role and makes it look easy. She was nominated for an Olivier for her portrayal of Ulla in London’s West End.

Fred Applegate brings, humor, wit, and impeccable timing to his portrayal of Franz Liebkind, der Fuhrer’s torchbearer. In fact, everyone in the cast is good.

Seldom does a reviewer’s approval rating score so high. Then one must look at the creative talent behind the scenes. Mel Brooks needs no introduction. He’s always been funny. He began his television career in 1951 writing for Sid Caesar on “Your Show of Shows” and the rest is A-list show business history. His best known credits include writing and performing The 2000 Year Old Man albums with Carl Reiner, co-creating the hit TV series Get Smart with Buck Henry, and winning a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for writing The Producers in 1968. Branching out, the iconoclastic comedy genius  added producing and directing to his credits with hits such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Spaceballs.

Do Leo and Max head to prison?

In 2001 The Producers became the smash hit of the Broadway season taking home a record 12 Tony Awards, including "Best Musical". The production at Paris Las Vegas has brought the core of the original Tony winners to the neon desert to work their magic. They include: Best Book of a Musical (Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan), Best Score (Mel Brooks), Best Direction (Susan Stroman), Best Choreography (Susan Stroman), Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long), Best Set Design (Robin Wagner), Best Lighting Design (Peter Kaczorowski), and Best Orchestrations (Doug Besterman).

Opening night applause with a standing ovation brought Mel Brooks, Susan Stroman and David Hasselhoff stage center. The list of actual producers of The Producers is staggeringly long, nine in all. They have spared no expense mounting this production. The theater is large and the seats are comfortable.

Click photo to book
Paris Las Vegas.

The Producers at Paris Las Vegas is shorter than its New York original – 90 minutes — but it has a vitality and charm all its own. Its got the same irreverent humor, genuinely talented actors, direction and choreography that allow one to leave the theater feeling terrific.

The show runs Thursday through Tuesday at 8 p.m. Prices range from $75.50 to $143.50. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Paris Las Vegas box office at 888/727-4758, or online at parislasvegas.com For all your Las Vegas show tickets visit Jetstreams.com For group tickets, parties of 15 or more, call 800-828-3830.

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