Mel Brooks' musical 'The Producers' comes to Sarasota

"Blazing Saddles" gets most of the attention, but a lot of people think that Mel Brooks' funniest movie was "The Producers," the story of two con men who try to stage the worst Broadway show ever, only to see their plans foiled when their celebration of Adolph Hitler becomes a major hit.

The movie came out in 1968. In 2001, Brooks' musical adaptation of his own movie hit Broadway and won an incredible 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was nominated for 15. The ones it lost -- Matthew Broderick for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and Roger Bart and Brad Oscar for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical -- went to other people who were in "The Producers."

A non-Equity national tour of "The Producers" is coming to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Sarasota on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the Van Wezel website listed the show as sold out, but often tickets become available closer to the show date. So even if you think you have been shut out, you may still have a chance to celebrate "Springtime for Hitler" with Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom.

Details: 8 p.m. Dec. 30, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets: $45-$80. Information: 941-953-3368, vanwezel.org.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Mel Brooks' musical 'The Producers' comes to Sarasota ."