The Producers Chapter Summary & Analysis - Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

The Producers is Mel Brooks' musical about a weary Broadway producer, Max Bialystock, and a repressed accountant, Leo Bloom, who team up in shared greed to fraudulently make two million dollars through the production of an intentionally poor quality musical. When the show is an unexpected success and Bialystock and Bloom are found guilty of illegal practices, the two men find that the true value in life is the loyalty of a good friend.

The musical is based on Brooks' film by the same name released in 1968 which won an Academy Award for best original screenplay.

The musical opens at the end of an overture. The first takes place in an alley outside the Schubert Theatre at 10:30 p.m. on a night in June, 1959. The theatre marquee advertises a Max Bialystock presentation of Funny Boy, the musical adaptation of Hamlet. Two usherettes appear and sing about the opening...
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