The Rochester Opera House is pleased to present The Producers beginning Friday, August 8, and running until August 31, 2025.

Directed by iconic Opera House vet Jenry Towle, The Producers follows down-on-his-luck Broadway producer Max Bialystock and timid accountant Leo Bloom as they hatch a wild scheme to get rich: raise far more money than needed for a Broadway musical, produce a guaranteed flop, and pocket the leftover cash when it closes after opening night. Their chosen disaster? A wildly inappropriate and offensive musical called Springtime for Hitler, written by an eccentric ex-Nazi. Against all odds, the show becomes a surprise hit. What will they do next?

Based on Mel Brooks’ legendary 1967 film, The Producers was first brought to Broadway in April 2001, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. The pair later reunited for the 2005 film adaptation. Now, in 2025, we’re bringing this monumental comedy to the Opera House, starring Rochester veterans Marcus Provost and Bill Hartery!

Full of outrageous characters, slapstick humor, and show-stopping numbers, The Producers is a satirical love letter to Broadway that celebrates greed, friendship, and the unpredictable magic of theater.

Playing timid accountant Leo Bloom, Marcus Provost returns to our stage after recently portraying King Triton here at the Opera House.

“It’s really new for me jumping into a character like this that I never expected. I felt very out of place at first,” says Provost. “But already the gags are there… even at the first rehearsal. It’s time to take a breath and to laugh.”

Alongside Provost is Bill Hartery, playing Max Bialystock for the fourth time and returning to the Opera House after a two-year hiatus.

“Every other time I have played Max was at the Palace Theater in my hometown in Manchester,” says Hartery. “Personally, this is my favorite role. I consider myself incredibly fortunate. In theater, you get to have the privilege of having a dream role… and to be able to do it more than once is such a gift. It’s like revisiting an old friend.
When it comes to comedy, Mel Brooks is on the Mount Rushmore of theater. And it’s important… laughing at the Nazis takes away their power. We need to laugh… now.”

Jenry Towle returns as director for this unforgettable comedy.

“We were excited to have a modern Broadway classic after having Fiddler on the Roof and Beauty and the Beast last summer,” says Towle. “It’s also a cast of big, bold, and irreverent characters. It’s a show full of belly laughs… something that we need right now.”

Joining Towle is the trailblazing Brad Reinking as choreographer, assistant director, and starring as Roger De Bris.

Visit www.rochesteroperahouse.com or contact the Box Office for tickets.