After almost 400 performances in Paris, Serge Postigo will transport the musical The producers next year in Quebec. The actor will play the lead role and will also adapt, translate and direct.
In total, more than 300,000 viewers applauded the French incarnation of The Producers, presented at the Théâtre de Paris from 2021 to 2023. But the version presented in Quebec next year will be very different; Serge Postigo makes a new beginning and builds his own text based on the original text – signed by Mel Brooks.
“There must be coherence between the translation, the adaptation and the production. So I’m starting from scratch,” says Serge Postigo.
“It’s definitely special to do this for a show I know by heart. But it allows me to take a fresh look at this work and prepare a tailored version for the Quebec public,” he continues.
Ode to 1950s Broadway
In fact, the actor and director is aware that French and Quebec audiences are very different, especially in terms of their familiarity with the work of Mel Brooks. The name of the famous American author, little known to our cousins on the other side of the Atlantic, finds more resonance here, where his satires “Robin Hood: Hero in Tights”, “Frankenstein Junior” and others “Dracula: Dead and very happy” were celebrated more.
We therefore know the main points of the musical comedy The Producers, this story in which an unscrupulous Broadway producer tries to pad his coffers through an accounting fraud. But obviously this trick won’t have the expected effects and will ultimately lead to hilarious scenes.
Released in 1967, the film earned Mel Brooks an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. “The Producers” was adapted for Broadway in 2001, starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Both actors later reprized these roles on screen for the hit 2005 film.
“This show is an ode to 1950s musical comedy; That’s why I want to take the audience to Broadway with the powerful humor of Mel Brooks. He makes fun of everyone: producers, Jews, Germans, women, gays… everyone takes it for granted. And that desensitizes the audience. There’s something really cool about all of this,” reveals Serge Postigo.
Open hearings
Performance dates for Les Producteurs will not be announced until the end of the month. For now, Serge Postigo is launching a call for auditions that is open to everyone. This process, once briefly controversial, quickly proved valuable: it allowed the Quebec public to discover, among other things, Joëlle Lanctôt. Her career began in 2016 with the role of Mary Poppins, which subsequently enabled her to realize projects such as “Footlosse”, “Mamma Mia!” and “Mamma Mia!” and Rock of Ages.
Serge Postigo now hopes to find the rare pearls for this new show that brings together 24 artists and 6 musicians on stage.
“I go into the audition room with a completely open mind. “I want to be surprised,” he summarizes.
- For all the details: lesproducteurs.com