Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008 | 11:07 p.m.
Mel Brooks, the producer (and writer, composer and lyricist) of "The Producers," joined Tony Danza, Larry Raben, Lee Roy Reams and the cast of the Las Vegas run of the musical comedy, as they took their final bows at Paris Las Vegas tonight.
Saturday's performance was the end of the line for the streamlined, intermissionless, 90-minute Vegas version, which had eight fewer numbers than the Tony-winning Broadway smash but maintained the energy and splendid casting of the two and a half hour original.
Danza and the other principals made "we're not worthy" bows before Brooks, as the show received a standing ovation on its final evening. Brooks didn't have anything particularly funny to say, but noted that he "had to be here for tonight" and thanked the "magnificent cast," who seemed to have a ball, giving (and often showing, in the case of the gloriously hammy Reams) a lot more than usual for their swan song.
It's sad to see this high-quality production leave the Strip. On Saturday night, the closing number, "Goodbye!," in which the cast implores the audience to tell their friends about the show, ended the evening on a bittersweet note:
"Thanks for coming to see our show
Sad to tell you we got to go
Grab your hat and head for the door
In case you didn't notice, there ain't any more!
If you like our show tell ev'ryone but...
If you think it stinks, keep your big mouth shut!
We're glad you came but we have to shout
Adios, au revoir, wiedersehen, ta-ta-ta
Goodbye...get lost...get out!"
Brooks aired his thoughts about the Vegas production of "The Producers" with Pollstar magazine this week: here's part one and part two.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy