Only one week after a successful month-long run of “Phantom of the Opera,” Broadway fans lined up at the Overture Center’s box office to purchase tickets for Mel Brooks’ musical “The Producers.”
Bob D’Angelo, president and CEO of the Overture Center, said tickets for “The Producers” went on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. Tickets for the week-long run are almost completely sold, specifically the weekend dates, he added.
“We sold 2,000 tickets, and at one point we gave out numbers so people didn’t have to wait in line,” D’Angelo said. “We’re over 70 percent capacity at this point which says to me the seats are going to be sold out.”
According to Tina Frailey, publicist for the Overture Center, this is the first time “The Producers” has come to Madison. The national tour started Feb. 1 in Chicago and will continue until June when it concludes in Dallas.
Frailey said there will only be eight performances of the Tony Award-winning show. There were four times as many performances of Phantom of the Opera during January, with 96 percent of the available seats selling and over 60,000 people attending the musical.
“Broadway’s been super strong for us this year,” Frailey said. “Phantom just has been such a great success. I think people are definitely interested in seeing a Broadway show, so for the Madison premier [of “The Producers”] people are turning out in force.”
While “The Producers” will play for a week in early May, a majority of the tickets from Thursday through Saturday night have already been sold. Frailey said theater-goers should call the Overture Center Box Office for the current ticket availability.
“If people want to go, I’m strongly urging them to call or stop by the ticket office this week,” Frailey said.
The musical, based on Brooks’ Academy Award-winning film, has won 12 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Choreography. The musical stars a producer and an accountant who want to earn profit from a Broadway show by raising more money than they need. They hire the worst director in New York, but the show becomes a huge success.
Another Tony Award-winning musical, “42nd Street,” is scheduled to show at the Overture Center for three days in early March. According to Frailey, the three performances are almost sold out as well. A matinee has been added for Thursday, March 3 with reduced ticket prices for those on a budget. This offers students a great chance to see a quality musical in the Overture Center at a discounted price, Frailey added.
Remaining tickets for “42nd Street” range from $27 to $44.50. Ticket prices for “The Producers” range from $37 to $67 during the show times of Tuesday, May 3 to Sunday, May 8.
“It’s doing really well,” Frailey said. “It’s right near the end of our season in May, and we are very pleased with it.”
