"The Producers" at the Spotlight Theatre -- September 30 through October 9.

Friday, September 30, through Sunday, October 9

The Spotlight Theatre, 1800 Seventh Avenue, Moline IL

One of the biggest Broadway hits in history and the winner of a record-setting 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Mel Brooks' stage smash The Producers enjoys its eagerly awaited run at Moline's Spotlight Theatre from September 30 through October 9, this hysterical adaptation of Brooks' Oscar-winning comedy, according to the New York Times, a show in which the audience is "going to be hard-pressed to choose one favorite bit from the sublimely ridiculous spectacle."

In this laugh-out-loud, outrageous, crowd-pleasing farce that has been a smash hit since its 2001 debut, fading Broadway producer Max Bialystock is desperate to get to the top of his profession again, and he finds an unlikely ally in mousy accountant Leo Bloom, who hypothesizes that one could make far more money with a flop of a show than with a hit. Together, the two set out to produce the worst musical ever to hit Broadway, with the worst script, the worst director, and the worst cast they can find. Their goal is that after they raise two million dollars to finance the show, Max and Leo will take the money and head to Rio when the production inevitably closes after just one performance. But can, against all odds, their theoretical bomb Springtime for Hitler prove to be a smash? With no shortage of show-stopping musical numbers and Brooks’ signature humor keeping audiences in stitches, The Producers had an incredible Broadway run of 2,502 performances, and beyond its dozen Tony wins, the stage work scored a Grammy award for Best Musical Show Album.

Directing and producing The Producers' Moline engagement is the Spotlight Theatre's married team of co-owners and artistic directors Brent and Sara Tubbs, with Max and Leo played, respectively, by a gifted pair of venue veterans: Christopher Tracy (Little Shop of Horrors) and Max Robnett (The Sound of Music). Featured among the show's principal supporting cast are Noah Hill (You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) as Franz Liebkind, Brycen Witt (Peter & the Starcatcher) as Carmen Ghia, Kirsten Sindelar (The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical) as the unforgettably named Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yensen Tallen-hallen Svaden-svanson, and, in his Spotlight Theatre debut, Joel Kolander (Quad City Music Guild's Jekyll & Hyde) as Roger Debris.

Additional members of The Producers' ensemble include: Lily Blouin; Ted Brown; Christianna Crosby; Matt Downey; Bruce Duling; Madison Duling; Ryan Hurdle; Annie Huston; Becca Johnson; Jacob Johnson; Kristen Marietta; Jill Matherly; Amber Mattly; Jorge Mendez; Joseph Nguyen; Nancy Teerlinck; Haley Tromblee; Steph Truitt; Joe Urbaitis; Heather Jo Whan; and Grace Wiborg. And with Chad Schmertmann serving as music director and Shana Kulhavy as choreographer, other members of the Tubbs' creative team (with Brent the show's set, light, and sound designer) include stage manager Violeta Jensen; costume, hair, and makeup designer Sara Wegener; costume assistants Heather Blair and Becca Casad; properties princess Sarah Greim; light-board operator Isaiah Jensen; and sound-board operator Maddy Poston.

The Producers runs at the Moline theatre from September 30 through October 9, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $20-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)912-7647 and visiting TheSpotlightTheatreQC.com.

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