A Year with the Producers

Whats it like to work in the biggest hit Broadway has seen in years? In this delightful book based on his almost daily notes, Jeffry Denman tells the story of a year in one performers life, from his job in the final days of Cats (now and forever, but finally closed) to a small but promising part in the Mel Brooks smash. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, Susan Stroman, Gary Beach, and Roger Bart are all here in Jeffry Denmans story. We follow The Producers — from its first casting call to the Chicago tryouts, we watch as numbers are cut and roles reassigned; we are there at the record-breaking New York opening, and then at the Tony awards (where the show won in more categories than any show in Tony history). What makes this book special is that we watch through Jeffry Denmans eyes — not from the stars perspective but the view from the chorus. Denman takes on several small roles in the show: the Blind Violinist; the Little Wooden Boy; FDR; a little old lady dancing with a walker; and Scott, the choreographer. We get to see director Susan Stroman coaching and Mel Brooks laughing (or not) at Denmans comic turns. What works? What doesn’t? How does all that energy and talent translate into the show you still can’t get tickets for? A Year with The Producers takes us up to Jeffry Denman’s big break, when he goes on for Matthew Broderick in the role of Leo Bloom, the nerdy accountant who dreams of being a producer. It’s a moment every young actor will read with terror and delight. A behind-the-scenes story with more than a touch of theatrical magic about it, A Year with The Producers is a book for actors and theater fans everywhere. This page intentionally left blank rue PRODUCERS One A c t o r ' s E x h a u s t i n g ( b u t w o r t h i t ) J o u r n e y fro m СA TS TO M el B r o o k s ' M e g a - H i t Щ Jeffry Denman FOREWORD BY И а т т и ен г B r o d c r ic k Routledge Taylor &. Francis Group LONDON AND NEW YORK First published 2002 by Routledge Published 2013 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon 0X 14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 2002 by Routledge All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or uti lized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. A Year with The Producers / Jeffry Denman ISBN 13: 978-0-878-30154-6 (pbk) Photographs on pages 55, 65, 80, 84, 86, 93, 94, 132, 137, 158 by Paul Kolnik; page 155 by Jeffry Denman; page 170 by Ashley Horne; pages 18, 23, 24 by Bob Denman; pages 75, 76, 141 by Matt Loehr; page 187 by Kristin Hoebermann; back cover photograph by Melissa Rae Mahon. When I began writing this book it was easy for me to decide who to dedicate it to: my cousin, Patty Denman-Krahling, whose life and spirit live on in the hearts o f every member o f my family. However; I wrote my last journal entry on September 10, 2001. The next day, we all woke up to an event that forever changed the lives, spirits, and hearts o f the country, and o f most o f the world. As Arthur Miller wrote, Attention must be paid. ” And so I dedicate this book to the memory o f the people weve lost, my one and our many, and to the lives o f the people who had to go on without them. This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Foreword by Matthew Broderick ★ Cast o f Characters xi ★ I Have an Audition 1 The Callback 9 Cats, Backstage 12 The Closing 16 ★ A Road Not Taken 27 Leo Bloom Understudy Audition First Costume Fitting 33 First Day of Rehearsal 34 Satan Enters My Body 39 End of the First Week 43 First Full Cast Day 46 Week Two 48 Understudy Assignments 52 Week Three 53 ★ Trying Things Out 62 Reality Sets In 64 Producer Run-Thru 66 Invited Dress 68 ★ Chicago 70 Sitzprobe 78 First Preview — Chicago 83 Opening Night in Chicago 98 Final Show in Chicago 104 ★ Home Again — New York 103 The Cast Recording 109 Dress Run 113 First Preview — New York 114 ★ Opening Night 116 Fifteen 122 Tony, Tony, Tony, Tonyyyyyy 127 Feeling a Little “Bookish” 137 The Documentary Screening 140 Character Assassinations 157 ★ Three Days to Go 161 One Day to Go 164 The Last Entry 166 ★ Acknowledgments 186 FOREWORD When you re in a show like The Producers, you re a part of some thing so full of energy that it isn’t always easy to take a step back and see how you — and it — got there. Jeff Denman had the good idea of keeping a journal — something many of us wish we had done and hardly ever take the time to do. Jeff and I worked together in my first Broadway musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I didn’t see a lot of him, though, because he was an offstage understudy, what we call a swing. Now we re on the same stage in The Producers. I play Leo Bloom opposite Nathan Lanes Max Bialystock. And Jeff? Jeff plays a blind violinist, a terrible choreographer, a little old lady in a walker, FDR, a guy auditioning to play the Fiihrer in “Springtime for Hitler,” and a Nazi or two. Not a lot of lines, but a lot of work. I’ve never been in the ensemble of a Broadway show. As Leo Bloom, I’ve got to have a big picture. But the ensemble is about having a lot of little pictures and making them all fit into the frame. Reading Jeff’s account of how The Producers got put to gether I’m reminded of what is too easy to forget. I’m thinking, for example, of how tough it was to get that blanket drop right in the Leo-Ulla scene in act two (note to Jeff : the trick is in the way Leo puts the blanket into his pocket a few minutes earlier). So much effort goes into a routine we try to make the audience think is second nature. If you read what Jeff has to say about a few seconds on stage as FDR, you’ll see what I mean. All big shows work this way. The Producers is no exception. Jeff’s year begins with Cats, a show he joined in its final Broadway life. It ends when he goes on one weekend for, er, me A y ea r w i t h THE PRODUCERS as Leo Bloom. Hes proud of getting that blue blanket drop in all four performances. He should be. Jeff doesn’t say it’s his favorite year, but he comes close. Any one who has been in an ensemble or an audition will recognize Jeff’s story. Anyone who has seen a Broadway show and won dered how it gets put together will enjoy the backstage view. Like everyone else in the theater, Jeff’s love of performing gets him on stage. I think that comes through on the pages that follow. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them. And see a Broadway show soon. Matthew Broderick December 2001 CAST OF CHARACTERS The Cast o f The Producers Nathan Lane Max Bialystock Matthew Broderick Leo Bloom Gary Beach Roger DeBris Cady Huffman Ulla Ron Orbach/Brad Oscar Franz Liebkind Roger Bart Carmen Ghia Madeleine Doherty Hold-Me Touch-Me Kathy Fitzgerald Shirley Markowitz, Jury Foreman, Kiss-Me Feel-Me Eric Gunhus Lead Tenor Peter Marinos Bryan, Jack Lepidus, Judge Jennifer Smith Usherette, Lick-Me Bite-Me Ray Wills Mr. Marks, Kevin, Jason Green, Gunther, Max Bialystock u/s Jeffry Denman Blind Violinist, Scott, Donald Dinsmore, Guard, Leo Bloom u/s, Franz Liebkind u/s Bryn Dowling Usherette Robert Fowler Unhappiest Accountant, O ’Houlihan Ida Leigh Curtis Ensemble, Ulla u/s Kimberly Hester Ensemble Naomi Kakuk Ensemble Matt Loehr O ’Riley Angie Schworer Ensemble, Ulla u/s Abe Sylvia Ticket Taker, O ’Rourke, Bailiff Tracy Terstriep Ensemble A y ea r w i t h THE PRODUCERS Swings/Understudies Jim Borstelmann Male swing, Franz Liebkind u/s, Roger DeBris u/s Adrienne Gibbons Female swing Jamie LaVerdiere Male swing, Leo Bloom u/s, Carmen Ghia u/s Brad Musgrove Dance Captain, Male swing, Roger DeBris, Carmen Ghia u/s Christina Marie Norrup Dance Captain, Female swing Creative Personnelfor The Producers Mel Brooks Composer/Lyricist and Author Tom Meehan Coauthor Susan Stroman Director/Choreographer Robin Wagner Set Design William Ivey Long Costume Design Peter Kaczorowski Lighting Design Steve Kennedy Sound Design Steven Zweigbaum Associate Director/Production Stage Manager Ira Mont Stage Manager Casey Eileen Rafter Assistant Stage Manager Warren Carlyle Associate Choreographer Lisa Shriver Assistant Choreographer Paul Huntley Wig and Hair Design Glen Kelly Musical Arrangements and Supervision Patrick Brady Music Direction and Vocal Arrangements Doug Besterman Orchestrations The Producers o f The Producers Richard Frankel, Steven Baruch, Tom Viertel, Marc Routh, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Rocco Landesman, Rick Steiner, Doug Meyer, James Stern, Robert Sillerman, and Fredric and Rhonda Mayerson Supporting Cast and Topics Bob and Maggie Denman Parents Bob and Gregg Brothers Anne and Vicky Brothers’ wives, respectively Ann Steele Agent Dennis Stowe and Nancy Lemenager Best friends Brother Fred Dihlmann Teacher, mentor, dear friend OB Stage Manager of Cats Johnson-Liff Casting Casting Associates (Geoffrey Johnson, Vinnie Liff, Tara Rubin) for Cats and The Producers Dancing in the Dark Musical I’ve written Cats Long-running show I’m in at the beginning of this book This page intentionally left blank I HAVE AN AUDITION FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2000: T h e PHONE RINGS.

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