Not everybody gets Mel Brooks. Don’t worry though, he’ll take it personally. Susan Stroman, director for the Broadway run of Brooks’ The Producers, remembers a WWII vet who walked out when Hitler showed up in the musical.
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TRANSCRIPT
- During one of our first previews in New York, it was going very well and there was an older gentleman who was sitting in the front row, enjoying it, loving it, looking at all the showgirls having the time of his life.
Until Hitler sat on the edge of the stage, as Judy Garland.
And all this man could see was Hitler five inches from him.
And he jumped up and he started to storm out of the theater, and there he saw Mel in the back row, and he went, You, how could you do this?
I was in World War Two.
And Mel jumped and he said, You were in World War Two?
I was in World War Two, and I didn't see you there.
So all of a sudden these two men were fighting in the back of the house (laughs).
