ONLINE ONLY: 'The Producers' takes the stage at IU Auditorium

After a cancellation last year, the top Tony Award-winning musical in history, "The Producers," is finally here. The traveling cast will perform five shows at IU over the next three days at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.\nIU Auditorium Director Doug Booher said he believes "The Producers" will be one of the highlights of this semester's productions.\n"The first time I saw this show, I was sore from laughing so hard," Booher said. "This will surely be a night of pure entertainment and a chance for the audience to experience one of the shows that was most well-received by critics and is still playing to full-house audiences."\nIn the show, producer Max Bialystock figures out that in the right circumstance, a director could make more money with a Broadway flop than a hit. He begs his accountant, Leo Bloom, to help him put on a $100,000 flop. After initially refusing, Bloom ultimately decides to quit his awful job and come help Max.\nThey find the worst script they can -- "Springtime for Hitler" -- and hire the worst and most flamboyant director in New York. They hire a lead actress, Ulla, who has more womanly wiles than theatrical talent.\nThe producers are convinced that "Springtime for Hitler" will be a flop. But on opening night, the audience receives it as a comedy, and it's an instant hit.\nAfter a turn of events, Bialystock and Bloom end up in jail together and start a hit show in jail called "Prisoners of Love," which eventually goes to Broadway.\nThe show features familiar songs like "I Wanna Be a Producer", "Keep It Gay", "Springtime for Hitler" and "That Face."\nMany IU students are looking forward to seeing "The Producers," but some are not sure if it will live up to its Broadway expectations.\n"I saw this show in New York with the original cast," said sophomore Charlotte Bashner. "I thought it was amazing, but I am just not sure how another cast could recreate that magic."\nBooher said he believes that this cast is going to be just as good because Mel Brooks -- who wrote and directed the 1968 film on which the musical is based -- oversees all of the tours himself.\n"The tours all have to have the Mel Brooks stamp of approval," Booher said. "All of the actors are hand-picked by Mel, and they work very hard to recreate all of the energy and excitement of the Broadway show. This show will come with a very high quality level," he said. \nTicket prices range from $19 to $59 and can be bought at the IU Auditorium Box Office or through Ticketmaster.