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Dec 26, 2001 from People.com:
Sarah Jessica Parker in bulky brown-and-pink cardigan, Levi's and green Wellingtons kissing hubby Matthew Broderick on Madison Avenue in New York City.

Dec 24, 2001 from Playbill:

Maybe eight shows a week he wants to be a producer, but Matthew Broderick (and his wife Sarah Jessica Parker) are investors in a new dining establishment. Angus McIndoe, a self-named restaurant from the former Joe Allen's maitre'd, opened next door to the St. James Theatre, so eatery angel Broderick won't have far to walk for a meal. Joining the two for dinner are Off-Broadway actress J. Smith-Cameron and playwright Kenneth Lonergan. (Photo by Aubrey Reuben)

Dec 17, 2001 from New York Magazine:
The American Foundation for AIDS Research won't be honoring individuals the way it usually does at next year's fourth annual Seasons of Hope gala. Instead, the event - hosted by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick - will feature celebs reading works about the spirit of New York written by authors and playwrights including Woody Allen, Terrence McNally, Tony Kushner, Dominick Dunne, Adam Gopnik, John Guare, Michael Cunningham, Pete Hamill, Liz Smith, and Candace Bushnell.

Dec 14, 2001 from Playbill:
On New Year's Eve 2002, San Diego will get the West Coast premiere of the Broadway's mega-hit "The Producers" for a two-week run at the Civic Theatre through Jan. 12, 2003. Tickets at the 2,975-seat Civic will run decidedly less than the the $480 top price for "Inner Circle" ducats at Broadway's St. James Theatre. The price range for the CA stay will run $34.50 $78.

No word yet (as of Dec. 12) on dates for the show's sit-down engagement in L.A., and a report from the Colorado-based Rocky Mountain News notes that Denver Center Attractions, which had hoped to land the musical in 2003, won't see it until spring 2004 at the earliest.

Dec 12, 2001 from Playbill:
The gasps have quieted down now that $480 tickets to Broadway's "The Producers" have been on sale for nearly a month. Announced as a way to foil scalpers, the price hike counted on the desire of people who really want to see the hit show being willing to pay top-dollar and then some.

Joe Farrell, CEO of Broadway Inner Circle, which handles the big-ticket ticket sales, told Playbill On-Line, "Sales are certainly going well and meeting our expectations." Farrell did express pleasant surprise that the $480 tickets maintained their appeal even when star Nathan Lane was out of the show, a fairly frequent occurrence. "I think it's because Lane and Broderick are both extraordinary, too, and Mel Brooks shares equal billing with them. They're there to see the show," Farrell said.

No word yet on how long Lane, Broderick and costars Cady Huffman, Brad Oscar, Gary Beach and Roger Bart will stay with the production. According to a Barlow-Hartman spokesperson (reached Dec. 12), Lane and Broderick are contracted until March 17, 2002. Broderick will have a week's vacation, Jan. 8-13, but his planned filming of a television version of "The Music Man" next year won't get in the way of The Producers' schedule unless he stays well past March. The Producers regularly sells out the St. James theatre at 101 percent attendance. The show grossed nearly $1.2 million for the week ending Dec. 9 - nearly $200,000 more than its closest competitor, the equally-sold-out "The Lion King."

from Actors' Equity Association:

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, a.k.a. Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom of Broadway's "The Producers," invite readers this December to produce baskets for the annual Stephen J. Falat Holiday Basket Project of Actors' Equity Association. Since 1986, volunteers have delivered baskets (large, colorful shopping bags) filled with clothing, books, CDs, candy, toiletries, etc. to local hospitals and AIDS organizations to brighten the holidays of people living with AIDS. This year, over 2,500 baskets will be delivered to more than 20 hospitals, AIDS hospices, pediatric AIDS centers, and HIV community services in the New York metropolitan area. All merchandise in baskets is new, and basket donations are welcome in any quantity. For example, samples from cosmetic counters and the mini-toiletries from hotels would be just what the doctor ordered if you work in those industries. Volunteers also fill baskets at the Equity Audition Center on the second floor. Members can drop by and be put to work between auditions. Send deliveries to Stephen J. Falat Basket Project, c/o Second Floor Audition Center, AEA 165 W. 46th St., New York, NY (Thanks, Ann!)

Dec 11, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
Variety - Before starting rehearsals for Edward Albee's "The Occupant," the first week in January, Anne Bancroft and hubby Mel Brooks head to vacation in the Caribbean. With Bancroft on stage in N.Y. while Mel's "The Producers" goes on (forever!), it does not necessarily mean they'd be in town together. Mel reminds me he commutes to L.A. for Brooksfilms biz -- but nothing's yet set to film.

As for "Producers," road companies plus London and Australia are in the works. While Matthew Broderick may take another job when his pact's up in March, he would like to return to the legiter.

Dec 5, 2001 from New York Daily News:
If Mel Brooks has his way, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick will open "The Producers" in Los Angeles in April 2003. "Understand, they're only signed to the Broadway production until April 2002," Brooks said Monday at Elaine's during a party celebrating his new book, modestly titled "'The Producers': The Book, Lyrics and Story Behind the Biggest Hit in Broadway History! How We Did It."

"We haven't even set the cast in New York beyond Nathan and Matthew," Brooks said. "And I have no idea who will play the leads when the show travels around the U.S. for two months prior to L.A. But if I had my wish, Nathan and Matthew would at least start things off when the show gets to the Ahmanson Theater in L.A."

from New York Post:
John Leguizamo is the highest-paid star on Broadway right now, with his one-man show "Sexaholix," all told, Leguizamo is said to be making nearly $80,000 a week. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, co-stars of "The Producers," are distant seconds.

Both are said to be making about $2.5 million a year in the hit show, or about $50,000 a week. No other performer on Broadway comes close to pulling down that kind of money, though Brooke Shields reportedly was making about $30,000 a week toward the end of her run in "Cabaret" this past October.

Nov 29, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Break out the 76 trombones: Tony-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth has been cast to star opposite Matthew Broderick in ABC's upcoming remake of "The Music Man." Chenoweth will play Marian, the River City librarian who attracts the romantic interest of Broderick's lovable con man. The role was played by Shirley Jones in the 1962 feature that sprang from the original 1957 Broadway tuner.

In addition, Emmy-nominated director Jeff Bleckner ("Serving in Silence," "The Beach Boys: An American Family") has inked to take the helm of "Music Man," to air as part of ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney" franchise next season. Production is expected to begin in March when Broderick takes a break from the Broadway smash "The Producers." Chenoweth co-starred in ABC's critically praised remake of "Annie." She most recently starred in her own short-lived NBC comedy.

Nov 20, 2001
Check out the new GAP advertisement with Matthew and the whole cast of "The Producers" on the new Entertainment Weekly magazine. Also, visit gap.com. (Thanks, Laura!)

from Broadway.com:
It only seemed fitting that the star of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the nation's hottest movie, came to the Great White Way to check out Broadway's hottest show, "The Producers." That's exactly what happened on November 20 when young Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter, showed up at the St. James Theater to enjoy the Mel Brooks smash starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Broadway.com caught up with the new Hollywood heavyweight backstage. (Photos by Bruce Glikas)

Broderick and Lane let Radcliffe try on one of the famous Producers hats.

Radcliffe and Broderick.

from Yahoo! News:
Launch.com - Enrique Iglesias will be one of the featured performers during the live halftime spectacular when the NFL's Detroit Lions play the Green Bay Packers on Thursday (November 22) at Michigan's Pontiac Silverdome. The special Thanksgiving halftime will feature Iglesias singing his hit song "Hero."

Joining Iglesias at the game celebration will be Detroit's own BeBe Winans, who will sing "Together We Stand," as well as Matthew Broderick, the current star of Broadway's "The Producers," who will do a special salute to heroes on videotape from New York City. And 20-year-old Warner Bros. recording artist Josh Groban will sing the national anthem prior to the game, which is scheduled to air at 12:30 p.m. ET on Fox.

Nov 15, 2001 from Playbill:
Mel Brooks has milked a new revenue source out of the cash cow that is "The Producers." The producer-composer-librettist-funnyman has put out a new book, modestly titled, "The Producers! The Biggest Hit in the History of Broadway! How We Did It." King Midas himself will appear at the 600 Fifth Avenue Barnes and Noble bookstore on Dec. 3 to sign this mighty tome. The event will take place from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM.

Nov 14, 2001 from People.com:
Seen: Sarah Jessica Parker in a chic camel-colored overcoat, jeans and funky green galoshes, dining with hubby Matthew Broderick at Le Cirque 2000 in Manhattan.

Nov 7, 2001 from Playbill:
Nathan Lane, Tony-winning star of Broadway's "The Producers," will reduce his stage commitment to the Mel Brooks musical to six shows a week over the next two weeks. The decision was made after Lane consulted with his doctors; the actor dropped out of the show last week after a polyp was discovered on his left vocal cord. For the next fortnight, Lane will perform only one show a day, Tuesday through Sunday, forgoing the Wednesday and Saturday matinees.

A Barlow-Hartman office spokesperson told Playbill On-Line that Lane did both shows on Sunday, Nov. 4. Reports from those who saw the Sunday shows said that Lane was in poor voice but compensated with his trademark comic gusto and personality.

Nov 5, 2001 from Playbill:

She might be saying "I'm on this little TV show and my husband is in a Broadway show you might have heard of...The Producers?" Theatrical power couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick celebrate her Nov. 1 opening in "Wonder of the World" on Manhattan Theatre Club's Stage I. Parker plays Cass, a wife who leaves her husband (Alan Tudyk) when she discovers his secret sexual interest and goes in search of something new and different in Niagara Falls, one of the great wonders of the world. It plays through Jan. 5, 2002. (Photo by Aubrey Reuben)

Nov 4, 2001 from New York Times:
As a significant number of adults are seeking to separate this holiday season from the materialistic splurge of the last decade, it affects everything from gift buying to religious services to entertaining. The actress Sarah Jessica Parker said that neither she nor her husband, the actor Matthew Broderick, feel much like celebrating. The couple live in Greenwich Village and, like many residents of downtown, still feel unsteady. "I just want to sit around and knit," Ms. Parker said. "I told Matthew that unless there was something he really wanted, I just didn't feel like buying anything."

Nov 2, 2001 from Playbill:
Nathan Lane - whose struggles with the exhausting nature of the lead role of Max Bialystock in "The Producers" have been well documented - has been diagnosed with a polyp on his left vocal cord. As reported by the New York Times and confirmed by the Barlow-Hartman press office, the ailment caused the actor to remove himself from the hit musical through the end of this week. Doctors have ordered him not to speak until his throat heals. Spokesperson Barlow told Playbill On-Line (Nov. 2) that Lane would miss both shows Nov. 3, but there's no word on an official return date.

Refunds or exchanges will be proffered to audiences who missed seeing Lane. Both Lane and co-star Matthew Broderick are contracted for the show through March 17. "An extension has been broached" for Lane, Barlow noted, "but nothing's confirmable at this point." He added that whatever Broderick's commitment to playing Harold Hill in an upcoming television version of "The Music Man," the actor would not need to take an extended leave from "The Producers" to do so.

Nov 1, 2001 from Broadway.com:
"Wonder of the World" opening night bash at Brasserie 8: The show is starring Sarah Jessica Parker, she was given a book of Matthew Broderick photos as an opening night gift by her co-star Amy Sedaris. (Photos by Bruce Glikas)

Sarah Jessica Parker & hubby Matthew Broderick.

Broderick and his "You Can Count on Me" director Kenneth Lonergan.

Broderick & brother-in-law Timothy Britten Parker.

Oct 28, 2001 from Newsday.com:
By Liz Smith - Those very funny guys who are "The Producers" - Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick - will join with Rosie O'Donnell to run AMFAR's Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS gala Feb. 4. The event was postponed from November. Call 212-806-1753 for tickets.

Oct 26, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
NEW YORK (AP) - "The Producers" the town's toughest theater ticket, has rocked Broadway by planning to sell 50 of the best seats in the house for a record $480 each, nearly five times the show's current top ticket price. The move was designed to thwart excess profits made by scalpers who buy tickets and then resell them at a huge profit.

Oct 23, 2001 from New York Daily News:
Denis Leary and Carol Kane walked into Gotham Gardens on the upper West Side last week and ordered three $100 floral arrangements: for Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Eve Ensler. Leary and Kane were thanking the trio for helping to raise money for the Leary Fighterfighters' Foundation.

Oct 17, 2001 from InStyle.com:

"The Producers"' Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick took their act on the road. A benefit for Denis Leary's Firefighters Fund for New York's Bravest at The Park restaurant, N.Y.C., October 15 featured live and silent auctions and a special performance by Broderick and Lane (who sang a reworked "People Will Say We're in Love"). (Photo by Startraks)

from New York Daily News:
Dennis Leary's firefighters' fund collected $250,000 from supporters like Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Annabella Sciorra at The Park on Monday night when they auctioned off some big-ticket items.

Revlon CEO Ronald Perelman spent $8,500 on an Annie Leibovitz portrait of Bruce Springsteen wrapped in an American flag. And Julianne Moore gladly handed over $3,000 for a Fire Department-inspired T-shirt designed by Sofia Coppola. An autographed guitar of Sting's and "Producers" tickets (with backstage passes) each went for $6,000.

Oct 12, 2001 from BroadwayOnline.com:
"The Wonderful World of Disney" on ABC, which debuted "South Pacific," starring Glenn Close and Harry Connick Jr., last spring, will roll the cameras on "The Music Man," starring Matthew Broderick, in February.

Oct 10, 2001 from New York Post:
Denis Leary and Patti D'Arbanville are co-hosting a benefit next Monday, Oct. 15, to benefit the families of firefighters lost in the Sept. 11 WTC tragedy.

Expected to attend "New York's Bravest" at The Park (118 10th Ave.) is the entire cast of "The Sopranos," Harrison Ford, Steve Buscemi, "The Producers" stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick and many more celebs including Julianne Moore, Uma Thurman, Penny Marshall, John Leguizamo and a "surprise" guest. All proceeds will be donated to The Fund for New York's Bravest.

Oct 4, 2001

Among the aftershocks of the terrorist attacks on New York has been a drastic fall-off in Broadway and off-Broadway theater attendance. One study pegged the losses to the city's economy caused by closed shows at $873 million. The city has mounted a major campaign, including pleas from Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, to support the theater industry, and it is starting to pay off: Ticket sales are up substantially. Yesterday, a crowd milled about the St. James Theater, above, as a matinee performance of "The Producers" was letting out. At right, Matthew Broderick, a star of the show, stopped to pose with fans Megan Brock (left) and Joni Arp of Virginia. (Photos by San Francisco Chronicle)

Oct 1, 2001 from E! Online:

Stylish but somber is the order of the day for Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker the Actors' Fund 20th Anniversary Benefit Concert of the musical "Dreamgirls" at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. In the wake of the September 11 tragedy, Broderick plays it straight in a maroon-bowtied suit, while Parker keeps it low-key in a padded shouldered jacket, black cami and white slacks. Bravo to these stars for having the courage to get out, face the cameras and help get the city moving again. (Photo by ImageDirect)

from USA Today:
Hundreds of Broadway actors - many in full costume and makeup - and supporters descended on Times Square on Friday morning to tape a public service announcement promoting the nation's theater capital and New York tourism in general. Many performers expressed their appreciation to the city agencies involved in rescue efforts. Bebe Neuwirth and Glenn Close also spoke of finding solace in the closeness of the Broadway community. Brooke Shields, now starring in "Cabaret," agreed: "It's a source of relief and refuge at a time like this."

Added Matthew Broderick, "Like the rest of New York, we've realized over the past few weeks how much we depend on each other."

from New York Magazine:
"When we came back on the Thursday (Sep 13) after the attack, the theater looked full at first," says Matthew Broderick. "But then you'd realize that the sound of your own voice was different. It was the sound against empty seats."

Comparatively, though, The Producers is packed. Five Broadway shows have closed since September 11, and shows that haven't been forced to close are still suffering.

Sep 28, 2001

Cady Huffman, of "The Producers" hugs co-star Nathan Lane as they join other Broadway cast members singing "New York, New York" for a public service announcement Friday, Sept. 28, 2001, in New York's Times Square. Also with them are Elaine Stritch, left and Matthew Broderick.

Hundreds of Broadway cast members sing "New York, New York" for a public service announcement shot. In the front row, from left, are Bebe Neuwirth, Susan Lucci, Joel Grey, Michele Lee, Valerie Harper, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, Elaine Stritch, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. (Photos by AP)

Broadway stars Matthew Broderick (R) and Nathan Lane, sing the song "New York, New York" in Times Square, for a special public service announcement which was made to support New York City tourism and Broadway in wake of the September 11 World Trade Center attack. (Photo by Reuters)

from Playbill:
The Booth Theatre - and Broadway itself - had never seen anything like it. The morning of Sept. 28, by 10:30 AM, casts of approximately 30 Broadway shows-from the past, present and future-gathered in the Booth before being herded toward Duffy Square for the taping of the new "I Love New York Theater" commercial, a bit of Broadway cheerleading set to the tune of "New York, New York." The mass gathering is meant to re-invite America and the world to a glittering, tough industry bruised at the box office by the Sept. 11 tragedy.

Tony Award-nominated choreographer Jerry Mitchell demonstrated the basic choreography in the theatre, just eight steps, "a big finale like Broadway Bares," Mitchell's fleshy annual benefit show, "but we'll keep our costumes on," he said. The casts let out a disappointed "Aawww!"

The companies came in all sizes, from the large, fully-costumed and coiffeured "The Phantom of the Opera" to "Dance of Death." One by one, shows were ordered out of the Booth, to congregate on the Duffy Square Island, where they would be filmed with Times Square behind them. Company after company filed out, until only "The Producers," "42nd Street," "The Lion King" and other luminaries were left to fill in what would be the front row of the outdoor group shot. "The Producers" took front-and-center with Tony- winner Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick most prominent.

Before filming with mutiple cameras and two booms, the Broadway companies worked through the choreography as Mitchell shouted instructions: "Sunshine, Sunshine!" (meaning reach for the sky) and "Times Square" (point to the Square with hip cocked, ala "Saturday Night Fever") through a bullhorn. He continued to give the companies commands as they moved to a pre-recorded version of the John Kander-Fred Ebb classic, "New York, New York," which included a solo spot by Tony winner Bernadette Peters.

After four taped run-throughs, a brief break for water and warm up time allowed the casts to mingle with each other. As time and tapings went on, fruit platters were passed around to performers. The long and short versions of the commercial were taped over and over while Broadway awaited the afternoon arrival of a very special guest. New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani arrived to deliver one line of "New York, New York": "It's up to you." (Photos by Christine Ehren)

All together now - well, maybe not. Many takes make a commercial as the companies of Broadway show attempt to get Jerry Mitchell's choreography correct and together. Good takes were awarded with praise and breaks for water and fruit.

One of Jerry Mitchell's assistants teaches the cast of "The Producers" including Tony nominees Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart and Tony winner Nathan Lane and Gary Beach, the eight steps that make up the upcoming "New York, New York" commercial.

Sep 25, 2001 from Newsmakers:
Stage actors participate in "Broadway Stars Band Together" to rally support for Broadway shows and New York City tourism by recording the song "New York, New York" for special public service announcements for the "Let's Go On With The Show" campaign September 25, 2001 in New York City. (Photos by Getty Images)

Alan Alda and Matthew Broderick	Broderick, Bernadette Peters, Tony Roberts, Bebe Neuwirth, Betty Buckley, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Joel Grey
Broderick, Peter Gallagher, Peters and Michelle Lee	Valerie Harper, Lea DeLaria, Dick Cavett, Patti LuPone, Broderick, Susan Lucci, Peters and Roberts

Broadway stars Bernadette Peters, (R) and Matthew Broderick pose for photographers, September 25, 2001 before they start recording the song "New York, New York."	Bernadette Peters (R) and Matthew Broderick sing the song "New York, New York" in New York City for a special public service announcement to support tourism and Broadway in wake of the World Trade Center attack. (Photos by Reuters)
Matthew Broderick, left, and Bernadette Peters break during a special public service recording of "New York, New York."	Matthew Broderick, far left, and Bernadette Peters, second from left, lead a chorus of other Broadway stars for a special public service recording of "New York, New York." (Photos by AP)

As theater performers recorded a spirited rendition of "New York, New York" to help bring audiences back to Broadway, producers announced the latest box-office figures: ticket sales are up, but there's still a long way to go. At "The Producers," every seat and every standing-room slot were sold, according to spokesman John Barlow, grossing $982,952 up from the five-performance figure of $546,858.

from BroadwayOnline.com:

Matthew Broderick and Bebe Neuwirth record radio spots advertising Broadway.

Broderick and Bernadette Peters. (Photos by Elaina Fusco)

NEW YORK -- At a Sept. 24 press conference, the League of American Theatres and Producers, Broadway's trade organization, unveiled plans for a comprehensive fundraising and media campaign that spells out numerous efforts being undertaken by the Broadway community. These include ticket sale donation, lower-priced seats, star-studded benefit - specific dates are still TBA, but an October benefit concert will take place featuring Broadway stars and entertainers, and public service marketing campaign - the League and its members will launch an extensive advertising campaign, estimated at $5 million. These TV, print and radio ads have been donated by various media organizations in an effort to lure tourists back to Broadway and beef up patronage for restaurants, transportation and retail. The full-page print ads will carry the banner headline, "I LOVE New York Theater," with the tag line, "Let's Go On with the Show."

Broadway stars Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Kevin Spacey are taping radio spots on Tuesday, Sept. 25. These spots will run on Clearview Channel radio stations throughout the New York City area.

On Friday, Sept. 28, Broadway stars will appear in costume in Times Square, where they will sing "New York, New York" for a television ad campaign and possibly a music video. According to the League, major networks, regional stations and local cable stations have set aside air time for this TV campaign. If the music video is indeed created, it will be shown in cinemas throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Matthew Broderick and wife Sarah Jessica Parker arrive for a performance of "Dreamgirls" at the Ford Theater. Show was a benefitt for the Actors Fund of America. (Photo by Daily News Pix)

Sep 21, 2001 from New York Times:
The League of American Theaters and Producers convened a remarkable array of theater people this week - many of whom are usually competing for audiences, advertising accounts and Tony Awards - to develop an industrywide marketing campaign. Devised by Nancy Coyne and Drew Hodges, who run two of the biggest Broadway advertising companies, the campaign will use movie trailers, print and radio advertisements (probably featuring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick of "The Producers") and a television advertisement featuring every actor on Broadway singing "New York, New York" in the middle of Times Square.

Sep 20, 2001 from MSNBC:
Sarah Jessica Parker and hubby Matthew Broderick were spotted working on a food line feeding the volunteers at the World Trade Center blast. A spokeswoman for Parker says she knows nothing of it.

from New York Daily News:
Ground Zero has also turned into a kind of VIP zone. Police won't let most concerned citizens anywhere near the disaster scene. But actors such as Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Steve Buscemi and Michael Imperioli have helped pass out food or otherwise assisted. Last Friday, Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein and Talk magazine editor Tina Brown joined staff from the Tribeca Grill in delivering hot breakfasts.

Movie producer Brad Epstein, who has been working daily with restaurateur Drew Nieporent and chef Don Pintabona in supplying the vittles, says the cops and firefighters don't seem to mind the attention - especially from Parker. "She was signing a lot of helmets," says Epstein. "The guys loved it."

from People.com:
The mood turned more overtly patriotic, however, at Broadway's hottest show, "The Producers," when stars Nathan Lane, who had to evacuate his TriBeCa apartment near the site, and Matthew Broderick, who lives close enough to have seen one of the buildings collapse, closed the evening by leading the audience in "God Bless America."

from Newsday:
Broadway publicists are encouraging stars from some of the shows, such as Valerie Harper of "The Tale of the Allergist Wife," and Matthew Broderick of "The Producers" to go on national television to inform viewers that New York -- and Broadway, in particular --is safe to visit.

Sep 19, 2001
Matthew will be on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight, other guests include John Miller, Odetta and the Boys Choir of Harlem.

Sep 18, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
Reuters - Broadway has taken a hard hit since the attack on the World Trade Center, with even the powerhouse show "The Producers" playing to a few empty seats for the first time, industry sources said September 18, 2001.

Sep 15, 2001 from Pagesix.com:
Sighting: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick at a separate table from Carson Daly and several MTV staffers at Le Madri.

Sep 14, 2001 from E! Online:
David Sedaris tells the Onion that Matthew Broderick is considering the lead in Wayne Wang's adaptation of the author's comic memoir, "Me Talk Pretty One Day."

from Yahoo! News:
NEW YORK (AP) - From 41st Street and "Rent" to 54th Street and "Cabaret," the curtains rose again Thursday on Broadway shows after two nights of dark, empty theaters because of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

"We have an expression in the theater," said Rocco Landesman, one of the producers of "The Producers." "The show must go on." And it did, to cheers and applause from an audience that yelled and clapped even before Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick came on stage. Landesman spoke at the start of the sold-out performance of Broadway's biggest hit, which, he said, was dedicated to "our fellow New Yorkers who died in the senseless tragedy in the World Trade Center."

"The show you are going to see is a comedy, and I couldn't be happier that it is a comedy," he said. "I think laughter is a great bonder of people. I don't think anything could be better in terms of making a statement about what is going on than to attend an event where we can all be together and laugh together."

Before the shows began, Broadway theaters dimmed their lights, and a quiet fell over arriving theatergoers, even the estimated 150 people waiting in the ticket-cancellation line at "The Producers." The hush was sudden and eerie, broken only by the chimes of theater bells urging latecomers to take their seats. At the end of the show, after a standing ovation, the cast and crew on stage led the audience in singing "God Bless America."

Nathan Lane, third from left, and Matthew Broderick, fourth from left, join cast and crew to sing "God Bless America" after performing in "The Producers," at New York's St. James theater, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001, two days after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. (Photo by AP)

Sep 13, 2001 from New York Daily News:
Actors Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker walked by ground zero last night with their black and white border collie, Sally. The couple said the destruction has shaken their neighbors' desire to live in Tribeca.

"I've been living around here my whole life. I think this is horrible," said Broderick, co-star of "The Producers" on Broadway.

"We'll get it back, but we won't get the people back. I'm in shock."

from Playbill:
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Sept. 12 that Broadway is one of New York City's major attractions - more popular than the Mets and the Yankees, he conceded - and encouraged the Great White Way's theatre owners and producers to reopen for business Sept. 13 after two days of darkness following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on New York City.

Broadway theatres and box offices, as well as the midtown TKTS Discount Tickets Booth, were expected be open for business as usual - albeit, with the disaster and the great loss of life on all minds - Sept. 13. Off-Broadway theatres were also expected to reopen, although some venues below 14th Street, where no traffic is allowed, may be shuttered. Call ahead to box offices or ticket agencies to confirm performances.

Broadway marquees will be dimmed Thursday night "as a gesture of respect for the victims of the recent attack on New York and their families," said League of American Theatres and Producers president Jed Bernstein. Those who held Broadway tickets for shows Sept. 11-12 can get refunds or exchanges at point of purchase, according to a League statement.

Sep 11, 2001 from Playbill:
All Broadway theatres and box offices are closed today, Sept. 11, owing to a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

A League of American Theatres and Producers spokesperson told Playbill On-Line Sept. 11, "everything is shut down for the day." No word on what decisions are being made regarding matinees or shows on Wednesday, Sept. 12. A Tele-Charge operator told Playbill On-Line (12:39 PM) that Broadway ticket-holders could call Tele-Charge (212) 239-6200 later in the day and tomorrow to find out whether shows on Wednesday will be affected.

Sep 10, 2001

New York - Actors Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane at Icons & Legends, a benefit auction to support Friends in Need, the non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for those dealing with life-threatening illnesses. (Photo by eZuma)

from New York Magazine:
Earlier this summer, we reported that Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick were thinking about buying a home in Bridgehampton that Parker sort of stumbled upon unexpectedly. Well, it's time to send them a housewarming present. The couple bought the five-bedroom 1850s Victorian just before Labor Day. They also picked up some land and an equally old barn next door, which they plan to convert into a guesthouse. They paid a little less than $2 million for the 1.5-acre spread, a source close to the Sex and the City star tells us. "She's going to do extensive work on the house," the source says. "She said she wanted something big enough to hold her large family." (Parker is one of eight children.) The couple -- longtime renters on the East End -- weren't even looking when Parker got a peek at the home. Our source says she fell in love with the place when she was tagging along with a pal who was house-hunting.

Sep 9, 2001 from Playbill:
Every year the casts of various Broadway shows contribute their time to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to record a holiday album, featuring new or classic carols for a special CD available during the Gypsy of the Year fundraising period. Sept. 9 and 10, "The Producers," Urinetown, Mamma Mia!, The Full Monty and others will record "Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure 2001" at St. John's Lutheran Church.

The CD will include the following selections:

1. "A Christmas Memory," Mamma Mia!
2. "O Christmas Tree," Beauty & the Beast
3. "Carol of the Bells," Blast
4. "What Child Is This?" The Music Man
5. "Silent Night," 42nd Street
6. "That Time of Year," sung by Labors of Love, (the agents, managers and casting directors singing group)
7. "Don't Let Christmas Pass You By," Kiss Me, Kate
8. "Davy Dinkle Tinkled in the Snow," Urinetown
9. "A Full, Frontal Christmas," The Full Monty
10. "Go Tell It on the Mountain," Aida
11. "The Cactus Christmas Tree," The Phantom of the Opera
12. "Let It Come to Us," Cabaret
13. "Away in a Manager," Rent
14. "O Tannenbaum," The Producers
15. "Holiday Trio," Chicago

The CD, sold for $20, will be available at the participating shows during the Gypsy of the Year fundraising season (six weeks lasting through the end of November, beginning of December), through the BC/EFA catalogue and on the BC/EFA website. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is on the web at www.bcefa.org.

Sep 8, 2001 from E! Online:
Sarah Jessica Parker Has Deformed Breasts: Well, not so much deformed as differently sized, at least according to fashion designer turned TV star Isaac Mizrahi, who finds out how the "Sex and the City" star measures up in the premiere of his new Oxygen talk show (Wednesday, 10 p.m.). Mizrahi, whose fashion line folded in 1998 after Chanel cut off financial backing, shows the same over-the-top (but less neurotic) personality that made his 1995 fashion documentary, "Unzipped," so fun to watch. He learns to make macaroni and cheese, chats with New York Liberty basketball stars and visits S.P.J. in her "SATC" trailer to fit her for the gorgeous custom-designed dress she wears to the opening night of hubby Matthew Broderick's "The Producers" on Broadway.

Aug 24, 2001 from BroadwayOnline.com:
NEW YORK - Nathan Lane is going on vacation from Tuesday, Sept. 18 to Sept. 23 from the hit Broadway "The Producers." In his place, 2001 Tony Award nomineee Brad Oscar will play the role of Max Bialystock, opposite Matthew Broderick's Leo Bloom. Oscar usually plays the wacky, demented role of Franz Liebkind, which will be played by Jim Borstelmann during the time Lane is off.

Aug 18, 2001 from E! Online:
TCM airs the original movie version of hot Broadway property "The Producers" Monday Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. ET. The movie, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder in the roles currently played by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, is shown in conjunction with a TCM contest that will award one lucky winner a trip to New York and a pair of those ever elusive "Producers" tickets.

Aug 17, 2001 from Playbill:
For a couple of weeks in early summer, it was a day-by-day guessing game when throat ailments would keep Nathan Lane out of Broadway's "The Producers." Then came the news that co-star Matthew Broderick would need to take several weeks off to film "The Music Man" for ABC-TV. The latter project has been put off 'till 2002, but Broderick will be taking a week's vacation in late summer, Sept. 4-9. During that time, two understudies - Jamie LaVerdiere and Jeffry [sic] Denman - will take turns covering the role of Leo Bloom. According to the Barlow-Hartman press office, Broderick will return to the show Sept. 11.

Aug 16, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) - French Stewart, who played the oddball Communicator Harry Solomon on the NBC comedy "3rd Rock From the Sun" for six years, has signed to play the title character in the Walt Disney Co.'s direct-to-video sequel "Inspector Gadget 2," taking over the title role played by Matthew Broderick in the 1999 feature. Alex Zamm (Disney Channel's "My Date With the President's Daughter") is on board to direct.

Aug 15, 2001

Theatre owner Rocco Landsman and Matthew Broderick attend a surprise party for Tom Meehan, who wrote the book "The Producers," where he received his caricature at Sardi's on Aug. 14. (Photo by PageSix)

Aug 12, 2001

Actors Mathew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker and Nathan Lane attend a rainy opening night of Chekhov's "The Seagull" August 12, 2001 at the Delacorte Theatre in New York City's Central Park. Rain interrupted, then stopped the show. (Photos by Getty Images)

Aug 11, 2001 from New York Daily News:
Matthew Broderick joined the New York celebrity team facing the team of WWF/WCW/ECW superstars in a charity softball game before the 1 p.m. game between the Mets and Cardinals.

Aug 9, 2001 from E! Online:
Sarah Jessica Parker, taping an episode of "Sex and the City" at Starbucks. Chelsea. Matthew Broderick stood outside the java joint waiting patiently for her cue, looking even more delish in the skin. No sweat visible on this overheated honey, even in the 90-degree humidity horror. S.J.P. still could not have been any sweeter to the riffraff approaching her on the sidewalk. Good fer you, doll.

Aug 2, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
(Variety) - Another deadline for Mel Brooks: Canal Plus, which has taken over ownership of "The Producers," Mel's hilarious 1967 movie, wants to rush out a DVD version, including some equally-funny outtakes, and they want to include interviews with Mel today. He is also busy with a Miramax coffee table book on the success story of the Broadway Tony winner. Publishers also are talking printing the original movie script.

Brooks reminds us of the history of the filmed "Producers," which he says segued from Avco Embassy and Joe Levine to Dino De Laurentiis, to Barry Spikings and EMI to Canal Plus (and now to a DVD). As for the play, Mel says, "We're thinking of taking it to Japan, Australia -- do you think they'd go for it in Germany?" An L.A./SanFran company would be the next "logical" company outside Broadway. As for Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, Brooks believes (hopes?) both will stay beyond their March contract finales. What about Broderick's previously noted time out to TV "The Music Man?" "I don't know if he will do it now. I hope both don't leave the show," Mel says. There's been no thought of any replacements.

Jul 30, 2001 from US Magazine:
Matthew Broderick, the star of the Broadway hit The Producers, bought border collie Sally 10 years ago [in 1991] for $35 from a farmer who was selling her out of a knapsack on a Northern California highway. Today Sally shares a New York town house with Broderick and his wife, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker. "Sally used to be crazier," Broderick says. "Now she just lies around and licks her feet."

Jul 27, 2001 from Newsday.com:
NEW YORK (AP) - Jennifer Bleyer, the editor and publisher of Heeb - the new magazine subtitled "The New Jew Review," said she would run profiles of Jewish celebrities like Natalie Portman and Matthew Broderick.

Jul 26, 2001 from E! Online:
Matthew Broderick, walking along Ninth Avenue at 45th Street. Same sleepless city. Wearing a blue baseball cap and Risky Business-style shades, Sarah Jessica Parker's other half was also carrying a yellow baseball bat. Hmmm. I know he and S.J.P. have been trying to hit a home run in the nursery, but I guess the boy's a sexy swinger in more ways than one.

Jul 20, 2001

Matthew Broderick joins screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan and his wife, J. Smith-Cameron, at a party at Club Spa celebrating the opening night of the Drama Dept.'s new play, "Music from a Sparkling Planet" in Manhattan, New York. Smith-Cameron stars in the production. (Photo by Daily News Pix)

Jul 19, 2001 from TheaterMania.com:
Apparently, the duties of a best man don't end with the wedding. At least, that's the way Matthew Broderick plays it. He stood up for Kenneth Lonergan when he married J. Smith-Cameron and, after wowing 'em in "The Producers" on Thursday, he dropped by Spa on East 13th where the after-party for the play "Music From a Sparkling Planet" took place and lent his celebrity to Mrs. Lonergan's opening night. The upshot: all three made the entertainment pages of the dailies. Beau geste, Matthew. . . .

Jul 16, 2001 from BroadwayOnline.com:
NEW YORK - Mel Brooks, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Susan Stroman, Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Cady Huffman and Brad Oscar are going to be beamed into New York households when PBS' "Great Performances" debuts its new documentary, "Recording The Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks."

The television special -- which will be broadcast 8 PM (ET) on Sunday, Aug. 5 -- documents Sony Classical's recording session of the Broadway cast album for the hit musical that won a record 12 Tony Awards in 2001. A behind-the-scenes look at what took place at the recording booth, the TV documentary intersperses the footage of the daylong session with interviews of Brooks, director/choreographer Stroman, and stars Lane and Broderick, as well as Huffman and Oscar.

"I grew up with all the great shows," Brooks said in the "Great Performances" special. "'Oklahoma!' and 'High Button Shoes' and 'Bells Are Ringing.' And that's what you're going to get here -- an old-fashioned, traditional musical comedy." The TV special is produced by six-time Emmy Award-winning producer Peter Gelb of Sony Classical and four-time Emmy Award-winning producer/director Susan Froemke of Maysles Films. "Recording The Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks" has been filmed in the tradition of "Great Performances'" series episodes like "Guys and Dolls Off the Record." Lane and Broderick recorded the original cast album for the Broadway show on March 11. Patrick S. Brady was the orchestra conductor.

In the coda of the "Great Performances" telecast, Brooks added: "It's downright thrilling to write 19 or 20 songs and then listen to this gorgeous orchestra play every note of music that you wrote and listen to every lyric sung by this fabulous cast. This is like one of the great, great days of my life. And you know, I've got a lot of days." "Recording The Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks" features the following musical excerpts from the CD album: "Haben Sie Gehort Das Deutsche Band" with Brooks; "The King of Broadway" with Lane and ensemble; "We Can Do It" with Lane and Broderick; "I Wanna Be a Producer" with Broderick and ensemble; "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop" with Oscar, Lane and Broderick; "Keep It Gay" and "When You Got It, Flaunt It" with Huffman; "Along Came Bialy," "That Face," "Springtime for Hitler" and "Where Did We Go Right?" with Lane and Broderick; "Betrayed" with Lane; and "'Til Him."

from New York Magazine:
It looks like the East End may get hit with another wave of celebrity homeowners. Although Sarah Jessica Parker's rep denies it, we hear that the "Sex and the City" star and hubby Matthew Broderick are thinking about buying a place in Bridgehampton, a month or so after the twosome signed a lease for a summer rental in Sagaponack.

Jul 15, 2001 from New York Daily News:
It seems that New Yorkers have found an unusual way to deal with summer's threat of energy shortages. Take a look at the swelling populace lining up for their sugar doses at New York City sweet shops like Magnolia Bakery. The West Village cult favorite is seeing a run on its layer cakes and old-fashioned cupcakes every night.

The fact that Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have been spotted on the premises licking cupcakes hasn't hurt, nor has the face that a scene from Parker's "Sex and the City" was filmed there.

Jul 5, 2001 from Pagesix.com:
Sighting: Matthew Broderick testing out bath tubs at the Waterworks store on 57th Street, and liking the new Empire tub built for two.

from Playbill:
Nathan Lane, who missed a couple of performances of "The Producers" at the end of May owing to the need for vocal rest, has missed several more since the end of June. Lane has been out since June 29 with a tracheal infection. He was initially expected back in the show July 3 but also missed that performance. There were no shows on July 4, and the actor is, according to Barlow-Hartman spokespersons, due back tonight, July 5.

Brad Oscar, who usually plays Franz, stepped in as Max Bialystock for the five performances Lane missed. Jim Borstelmann has been the interim Nazi. Audiences members at performances missed by Lane were able to get refunds (if they arrived before the curtain went up). Exchanges were also offered, although orchestra seats for the mega-hot show aren't available until spring 2002.

Jul 4, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
Brooks, Broderick, Close and Kline as matchmakers? Well, kinda, in an indirect sort of way. According to actress Susan Egan, if it weren't for the likes of Mel, Matthew, Glenn and Kevin -- who "were pioneers as actors by working not only on Broadway, but also in TV and movies" -- she would have had to choose between the three media, instead of being able to carve a career working within all three.

Egan, who is a series regular on the WB sitcom "Nikki," will appear in an August 5 stage production of "Show Boat." She got her showbiz start on Broadway as Belle in the Disney production of "Beauty and the Beast." She's also starred in several indie features. "Back when I was just working on the stage, I was doing five shows in a weekend. My social life was virtually nonexistent. But now with the schedule I have with the show, I'm able to go to the movies on Friday nights like normal people, so I'm auditioning for my own leading man," she says.

Jul 1, 2001

At an album-signing at Tower Records June 25, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, stars of "The Producers," posed with the play's creator, Mel Brooks, who looked like a cardboard cutout. (Photo by DMI/PageSix)

Jun 27, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
NEW YORK, /PRNewswire/ - Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker are expected to join the celebration of Yankee heartthrob Derek Jeter's 27th birthday tonight at New York's nightclub, The World.

"The Producers'" stars Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane were joined by multi-Tony-winning creator of their megahit musical, Mel Brooks, for a session of signing CDs at the Tower Records at Lincoln Center June 25. (Photo by Playbill)

Jun 26, 2001
"You Can Count On Me" is now available on Video and DVD.

Jun 25, 2001

Mel Brooks, left, creator of "The Producers," smiles toward the musical's co-stars, Nathan Lane, center, and Matthew Broderick, as they sign CD copies of the original Broadway cast recording, Monday, June 25, 2001, in New York. The man at left foreground is unidentified. (Photo by AP)

Jun 21, 2001 from Yahoo! News:
Forget reports that Sarah Jessica Parker is poised to play the librarian opposite husband Matthew Broderick when the latter stars in "The Music Man" for ABC. "It would seem to be a perfect fit, but no, that's not going to happen," reveals Neil Meron, who, with partner Craig Zadan, is producing the television "event" presentation. He adds that there's no other casting besides Broderick as yet for the musical, which will start production in January.

The producing team -- which has brought us such exciting high-quality fare as "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" with Brandy and Whitney Houston, "Gypsy" with Bette Midler, and "Annie" with Kathy Bates -- is likely to get its new production of "The Wiz" before the cameras this fall, says Meron. And following "The Music Man" next year, they'll produce "Mame." Barbra Streisand, whose company at one point planned to coproduce the project with Meron and Zadan's Storyline Entertainment, has opted not to star in the musical. "These are very, very tricky things to put together," observes Meron. There is now a strong potential "for Cher being Mame."

Jun 14, 2001 from E! Online:
By Ted Casablanca - Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker are attached to such outstanding, award-winning projects, more than any other famed duo I can think of. Wonder if it's something in the water...No, seriously. The pair guzzle down Glaceau Vitamin Water, a nutrient-enhanced drink with New Age names like Focus, Revive and Balance. And they ain't the only ones. Nathan Lane slurps the happening H2O, as do stylish sorts including Cher and Elizabeth Hurley and designers Tom Ford and Donna Karan. S.J.P.'s on-and-off "Sex and the City" costar Chris Noth even has crates of the liquid carted to his home. Alas, I don't think there's enough Focus bottles on this planet to telepathically lead you to C.N.'s doorstep.

Jun 13, 2001 from New York Daily News:
Neighbors have been wondering when Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick will move into their West Village pad. The $3 million, three-story townhouse has stood empty since Mr. and Mrs. Broderick bought it last spring, and it'll undergo $275,000 in renovations before they make their grand entrance, says the New York Observer.

Jun 11, 2001 from USA Today:
On June 25 at 6 p.m., Mel Brooks and "The Producers" stars, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, will make a special in-store appearance at Tower Records on 66th Street and Broadway in Manhattan, where they will sign copies of the original cast recording.

Jun 8, 2001 from National Enquirer:
Matthew Broderick reigns as King of Broadway in his smash play "The Producers" -- but he don't get no respect from NooYawk bicycle thieves, ya know what I mean? Matthew pedaled over to pick up wife Sarah Jessica Parker's dress from the cleaners and chained his bike outside. In minutes, he was back -- but bike AND chain were gone! It was the star's 11th Manhattan bike ripoff!

Jun 7, 2001 from Playbill:
Just yesterday, spokespersons for Broadway's "The Producers" confirmed that Roger Bart will move up to the role of Leo Bloom when Matthew Broderick takes a six-week hiatus to play Harold Hill in an ABC television version of "The Music Man," and one of Bart's two understudies - Jamie Laverdiere or Brad Musgrove - would step in as Carmen.

Now the Daily News reports (June 7) that Broderick has asked "Music Man" producer Craig Zadan and his production company, Storyline Entertainment, to postpone the shoot until early 2002, so Broderick could play a full, uninterrupted year on Broadway. Zadan told the News, "We'll rearrange our schedule and shoot another of our films in his place, then work him back in later." A Barlow-Hartman spokesperson for the show told Playbill On-Line (June 7) that the Bart-for-Broderick ruling still stands, albeit without a timeframe. "If and when Matthew leaves," he said, "Roger will do the role. But we don't know when that'll happen. The movie hasn't yet been scheduled."

Jun 6, 2001 from New York Daily News:
By Mitchell Fink - Mel Brooks on Line 2. "I want to correct an impression in your column today," Brooks said yesterday, responding to my item about Martin Short becoming the next Leo Bloom in "The Producers." Brooks laid out the entire plan. "Marty is too big a star to replace anyone [including Matthew Broderick, who plays Bloom now]," said Brooks. "Marty can carry his own company. I'd like him to be Leo Bloom in the Los Angeles production of 'The Producers.'" By the time that happens, Brooks said, "Maybe Marty could convince Nathan [Lane] to do the show with him out there. Or in Vegas. The point is, Marty is big and needs his own company." Then who does Brooks want to sub when Broderick leaves for six weeks in the fall to play in the ABC-TV version of "The Music Man"?

"Roger Bart," he said, referring to the Tony-nominated actor who currently plays Carmen Ghia in the Broadway mega-hit. "Roger is already signed to play Bloom for those six weeks." Bart will also likely tackle Bloom full-time when Broderick leaves the show for good next year. "He should be the guy to play Leo Bloom," said Brooks. "Roger can do anything. He's a genius. In fact, if we were to do a musical version of 'Young Frankenstein,' Roger would be the perfect Eyegor," the doctor's assistant played by Marty Feldman in the 1974 film. As long as I had Brooks on the phone, I asked whether he had come back to earth yet from his Sunday night high, when "The Producers" racked up a record 12 Tony Awards. "Are you kidding? The Tonys was one of the great nights of my life. That and the night I married Anne Bancroft."

from Yahoo! News:
Reuters - On Monday, the Mel Brooks musical "The Producers" booked sales of $1.3 million a day after setting a new record with its 12 Tonys, continuing the trend of award winning plays getting a next day box office bump. Tickets for "The Producers" are now on sale through Christmas 2002, with its producers reporting the availability of good orchestra seats beginning in spring 2002.

from Official Tony Awards:
June 3 - For "The Producers" - and any other hit show - the party at the Bryant Park Grill doesn't really start until after 11 when the big players arrive from the ceremony and post-Tony gala ball. By 11:30, a small crowd gathers at the restaurant entrance to await the stars and be first to offer congratulations, hugs and kisses.

This year, the arrival of Susan Stroman and her assistant Warren Carlisle, brought an onslaught of cheers for the director-choreographer who was doubly honored for her work on Producers. Star couple Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker drifted through the crowd separately and together, accepting congratulations as "Mr. and Mrs. Leo Bloom." Nathan Lane, Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft retired together to an outdoor table on the Grill's top floor, where Stroman and others dropped by for a visit. At 3 AM, in the words of another Tony Award nominee, "The Party's Over."

from New York Post:
Lauren Bacall commented on the Tony Awards in New York, saying, "Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Mel Brooks, Dame Edna - you can hardly get better than that!" Then she closed, "Lifetime Achievement Award has an ominous ring to it. I have no intention of disappearing. As long as there's a stage, I intend to be on it!"

Jun 5, 2001 from E! Online:
Sunday's telecast of the 55th Annual Tony Awards didn't quite generate the attention CBS hoped for, given the record 12 wins for Mel Brooks' wacky Broadway hit, "The Producers." This year's ceremony averaged 8.9 million viewers--up just 4 percent from last year's record-low numbers. But on the bright side, CBS' Tonycast did shoot up a whopping 32 percent among adults 18-49, the demographic craved by advertisers.

from New York Post:
By Liz Smith - I did fall in love all over again with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane as the hosts. Their PBS opening was great, their CBS opening was great and their closing was spectacular! Congratulations to producers Gary Smith and Elizabeth I. McCann. Also kudos to Rick Kirshnerk, Glenn Weiss and the rest. This was the best Tony Awards ever!

Jun 4, 2001 from InStyle:

There was nothing but loyalty, though, from Sarah Jessica Parker who hung off the arm of husband Matthew Broderick, the Tonys co-host. Also the Best Actor in a Musical nominee, Broderick basked in "The Producers'" glow: The musical swept the Tonys with a record-breaking 12 awards.

It was lucky for Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) that the party for the season premiere of "Sex and the City" on May 30 went as late as it did: Hubby Matthew Broderick was able to join her after his performance in Broadway's hit "The Producers." (Photos by DMI/TimePix)

Matthew Brodrick and wife Sarah Jessica Parker at the Tony awards after party at the Sheraton. (Photo by DMI/PageSix)

from BroadwayOnline.com:
What's next after "The Producers"? Mel Brooks said he is still "toying with the notion" of turning his film "Young Frankenstein" into a musical. "To coalesce the vapors of that would take a year of walking around Frankenstein and asking it, 'Sing to me.' Where does it sing? Where is the emotion? Even though "The Producers" is the funniest show in town, the other shoe that's dropped is emotions, the love story between Matthew and Nathan, between Cady and Matthew. Love counts a great deal. Certainly there's love there between the monster and Dr. Frankenstein."

Nathan Lane, who won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, offered personal testimony for Brooks' collaborative spirit. "It's been great working on the show, but it's harder than you think, those songs" Lane said. "Mel realy writes for actors. He shaped the characters of Bialystock and Bloom around Matthew and myself. During the Chicago run, I said to him that I really need something to do in the second act. After 'Springtime for Hitler,' I didn't really have much left to do. So he wrote the song 'Betrayed.'"

Lane, who brought co-star Matthew Broderick on stage when he accepted the best-actor award, later said: "We have a highly unusual relationship. We're very close and we've become friends. Matthew made this one of best experiences in my life, both personally and professionally. We enjoy each other's company. I not only respect him as an actor but he's also a delightful person. I don't know how I can stand there and not have him stand next to me. He's become an integral part of the show, and I'd like to think part of the success of the show has to do with our relationship."

Is it unusual for an award-winning actor to include his co-star, whom he competed with in the same category, so that both of them can appear on television for the acceptance speech? "I don't know," Lane replied. "I haven't exactly tracked this."

For Lane, winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical was, in a sense, just all in a day's work. Both he and Broderick rehearsed the script during the morning of the June 3 telecast and then performed a matinee of The Producers before hopping along to Radio City Music Hall to host both the PBS and CBS live telecasts of the awards ceremony. "It's been an extremely long day," Lane said. "We've been rehearsing all day. We did the matinee and I came in for this. We were rehearsing what we were going to do tonight. I wrote the stuff that we did tonight, so we were rewriting and shortening things. It's been an overwhelming experience."

from Yahoo! News:
NEW YORK (Variety) - Mel Brooks was asked if it would be possible to take "The Producers" to London without stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. "You may not need them," he said. "There's Alan Cumming and Alfred Molina and a whole lot of people who can dance and sing."

Natasha Richardson stepped in at the last minute as a presenter on the Tony show, after Sigourney Weaver bowed out because of "family problems." Richardson said she hasn't yet seen "Producers": "I called Sarah Jessica and Matthew's assistants (for tickets), and they haven't called back, so I'm still waiting."

from New York Post:
By Cindy Adams - Yesterday morning, after two shows Saturday and before a matinee yesterday, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, both wearing black and eyeglasses, were rehearsing at Radio City. "Nathan wrote our lines," Matthew told me.

Jun 3, 2001

Actors Nathan Lane (L) and Matthew Broderick perform in the opening stage number at the 2001 Tony Awards at New York's Radio City Music Hall, June 3, 2001.	Actors Nathan Lane, left, hugs Matthew Broderick during the 55th annual Tony Awards Sunday. (Photo by AP)
Stars of the hit musical "The Producers" Nathan Lane (R) and Matthew Broderick (L) perform on stage at the 2001 Tony Awards. The Producers is nominated for 15 Tonys.	Nathan Lane (L) accepts the 2001 Tony award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical as his co-star in "The Producers" and fellow nominee Matthew Broderick applauds (R).
Nathan Lane (right/center) and Matthew Broderick (left/center) perform a number from "The Producers" with the show's cast at the 2001 Tony Awards. "The Producers" won 12 Tony Awards on the night including Best Musical.	Mel Brooks, (L) the main creator of the musical "The Producers" hugs actor Nathan Lane (C) as actor Matthew Broderick looks on at the end of the Tony Awards. (Photos by REUTERS except as indicated)

"The Producers" won every prize it possibly could at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan Sunday night, breaking the Broadway record with 12 Tony Awards, the most any musical has won since "Hello, Dolly!" took 10 in 1964. The show had already broken two Broadway records, selling more than $3 million worth of tickets the day after it opened and drawing 15 Tony nominations, beating the previous record, held by "Company" in 1971.

"The Producers" trophies included: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan), Best Original Score -- Music & Lyrics -- Written for the Theater (Brooks), Best Direction of a Musical (Susan Stroman), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Nathan Lane), Best Scenic Design (Robin Wagner), Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long), Best Lighting Design (Peter Kaczorowski), Best Choreography (Stroman), Best Orchestrations (Doug Besterman), Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Gary Beach) and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Cady Huffman).

Susan Stroman who won for best choreography, making her only the third person in Broadway history - after Bob Fosse and Tommy Tune - to win that award in consecutive years.

"The Producers" hubris continued with the opening of the network section of the broadcast, in which dizzy co-host Matthew Broderick claimed he was "drunk with power." "This is a megahit, this is a juggernaut. I will never be more powerful! I'm the king of the world," he joked. "We are 'The Sopranos' of musical comedy!," and went on saying he feels like "Zeus, Jupiter and Oprah combined," and asserting "I could have people killed...because it amuses me." He also called co-host Nathan Lane a "pipsqueak," an "elf" and "a tiny Virginia baked ham," as Lane did takes.

For his part, Lane said "We feel like the Bush twins at happy hour!" However, the hosts then disappeared for the next hour and 20 minutes. Later, when Lane won the actor award, he dragged Broderick out with him to collect his award. "I can only accept this on behalf of the two of us and not because I worship and adore Matthew, but because we are a team," Lane said, with his arm around his co-star, adding that, "Believe me, without him I'm nothing." He then gave the Tony Award trophy to Broderick and remarked: "Here, hold this. And if you're good, we'll get ice cream later." Broderick quickly and politely backed off, though, allowing Lane to bask in the moment.

Upon winning Best Musical, Mel Brooks said, "I want to thank Hitler for being such a funny guy -- on stage." He said Lane and Broderick were "Better than eating pizza and watching 'Top Hat.'" With his Tony wins, Brooks enters a rarefied circle of people who have won a Tony Award, an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and an Emmy.

The 55th annual Tony Awards ceremony on the PBS telecast, which was officially titled "The First Ten Awards: Tonys 2001," began at 8 PM, with Lane and Broderick on red armchairs, "Masterpiece Theatre" style, spectacles and smoking jackets making fun of PBS' hoity-toityness - albeit with jokes about Pamela Anderson, teamsters and "Survivor."

The CBS hour began with a "42nd Street" subway tap-fest, followed by Broderick and Lane, in tuxedos, kidding about the former getting a swelled head over "The Producers'" mega-power -- until Lane reminded his partner of the two flop films they'd done, "Godzilla" and "Isn't She Great."

Broderick's wife Sarah Jessica Parker, who presented the award for best revival of a play, introduced herself as "Mrs. Leo Bloom."

from Tony Awards:

Nathan Lane (L) and Matthew Broderick rehearsing the openning sequence of the 2001 Tony Awards.	Broderick (left), Lane, Brad Oscar and other cast members of "The Producers" during Sunday's dress rehearsal.
The 55th Annual Tony Awards co-host and one of the stars of "The Producers," Matthew Broderick, during final dress rehearsal.	Broderick and Lane appeal to the audience while rehearsing.
Matthew Broderick takes time out during rehearsal to sign autographs.	The cast of "The Producers," the new Mel Brooks musical at the completion of their production during rehearsal. (Photos by Andrew C. McGibbon)

Jun 1, 2001 from PeopleNews:
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are reported to be expecting their first child. Carrie, Parker's character in "Sex and the City," is about to get pregnant, and rumours are circulating that the plotline has been developed around her own forthcoming baby. When asked at a recent party if this was the case, Parker, 36, just beamed and shrugged. Her fellow cast member Kim Cattrall was more open, saying: 'I think life might be imitating art. We'll just have to shoot her behind a couple of desks.' Other co-star Kristin Davies was more cagey. 'We're all ladies, so sooner or later one of us just might get pregnant,' she said. (Thanks, Marianne!)

from New York Daily News:
It wasn't just die-hard theater lovers who were disappointed that Nathan Lane became ill and missed four performances of "The Producers" this week. Sarah Jessica Parker, wife of Lane's co-star, Matthew Broderick, was none too thrilled, either. Parker's "Sex and the City" co-star, Kristin Davis, told me she had been after Parker for weeks to use her access to get two seats to "The Producers," so she could take her manager, Dave Fleming, on Tuesday.

"Then on Tuesday morning," said Davis, "Sarah Jessica sent me this frantic e-mail saying that Nathan was sick and perhaps I should wait until another time." But she couldn't, because Tuesday was the only night Fleming could go. Parker, who had planned to join them, bailed out. "It's a two-hander," she reasoned, meaning the show works better when Lane and Broderick are working side by side. "They need each other." Nevertheless, Davis, who went anyway, said Fleming was not disappointed by the performance of Lane's understudy, Ray Wills. "He pulled it through," said Davis, who vowed to go back soon to see Lane, who returned to the show last night.

from ABCNEWS.com:
Sarah Jessica Parker admits she won't be watching the Sunday night premiere of "Sex and the City" on HBO. She has a good reason - her husband Matthew Broderick co-hosts the Tony Awards. He's also a nominee for his role in "The Producers."

She says she's not giving him any advice, despite her current spot in the limelight. "He's won two Tony awards already, so, he's such a lovely, decent person, he's so gracious. He doesn't need any tips from me," said Parker.

from Pagesix.com:
Sarah Jessica Parker Broderick, also be on the Tony show, is not presenting to her family member, Matthew co-host Broderick. At HBO's party for "Sex and the City," Sarah said: "I can't believe I'll be there watching my husband possibly getting an award."

"I'm freaking thrilled for him. My fantasy is for someone to open the envelope and announce, 'A tie between Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane.' It would be so terrific. See, the relationship between those two guys is a great love story." Standing in the eye of a hurricane of cameras, she said: "I had a wonderful childhood, but we were so poor. We had nothing. I've been working 30 years. For what I have now, not a day goes by that I'm not grateful."

from New York Times:
Sarah Jessica Parker, attending a party for the new season of HBO's "Sex and the City" at Damrosch Park Wednesday night with husband Matthew Broderick, offered tips for a happy marriage. (Short version: a little absence makes it more interesting.)

May 31, 2001 from Tony Awards:

The company of "The Producers," the new Mel Brooks musical, during Tony Award rehersals at Radio City Music Hall.

The cast of "The Producers" in rehearsal for the 55th Annual Tony Awards ceremony. (Photos by Andrew C. McGibbon)

from BroadwayOnline.com:
Matthew Broderick says he always knew "The Producers" was funny "but, until we opened in Chicago, I didn't know it would be a hit. None of us expected this!"

"The Producers" is not Roger Bart's first time to play opposite Broderick. He was in "How to Succeed in Business..." as Bud Frump.

Being perceived as tall and sexy didn't always make it easy for Cady Huffman to get work or be judged solely on her talent. "Everyone has their genre," says Huffman, "I'm the height of the average American male, which means there're a lot of guys out there that are shorter than I am. Luckily, Matthew (Broderick) and I are close to the same height. He's about an inch shorter than I am, but, then, I wear three-inch heels. Nathan (Lane) is much shorter, but I don't have love scenes with him -- well, not on stage, at least." Hers are with Broderick and she does say that, in person, he's as shy as his Leo Bloom character is onstage.

William Goldman, author of the landmark 1968 study of Broadway, "The Season," used the May 28-June 3 issue of weekly Variety to hold forth on why "The Producers" is as big a hit as "My Fair Lady" or "A Chorus Line" -- and in particular why it shows up most of the musicals of the past two decades: "It is the final nail in the coffin of the s- that has been flooding the theatre for the past 20 years. It is, if you will, finally and blessedly, the death of Andrew Lloyd Webber." Goldman continues, "Lloyd Webber, let it be noted, is still a very young man. And he will make more money next Tuesday than most people earn in a lifetime. His shows still run all over the world, and he has new ones aplenty. But he doesn't matter anymore. And a good thank God for that...." Show Music Magazine publisher John Pike announces that he will devote virtually the entire summer 2001 issue to "The Producers." The magazine will be published June 15.

May 30, 2001 from Playbill:
Nathan Lane will be resting his vocal cords for a little while longer. The Tony-nominated star of "The Producers" has been out of the show since Sunday's matinee "on vocal rest," according to a spokesperson, who added that Lane will miss both of today's performances but is expected to be back in the show on Thursday evening, May 31.

Understudy Ray Wills has been appearing in the four performances that Lane will miss. Audience members for those performances can either stay for the show, leave and get their money back at the box office, or leave and book another date to see the show (although The Producers' huge popularity means they'll have to wait weeks or months before seats are available). Lane and co-star Matthew Broderick are expected to be in all the performances (including Sunday's matinee) from now up till their co hosting of the Tony Awards on Sunday night.

from People.com:
Sarah Jessica Parker has gone on record as saying that not even she can get tickets to the Broadway smash "The Producers," even though her husband, Matthew Broderick, stars in it. So The New York Times, armed with the knowledge that emergency pairs of tickets are held for every performance, went looking to see who exactly could get into the sold-out show. "If you're Bill Clinton, we've got tickets," Rocco Landesman, the show's lead producer, told the paper. He'd let in Fidel Castro, too, he said . . . but not George W. Bush. Landesman did not explain why, but he did say that recently he was able to accommodate Yankees manager Joe Torre. Yoko Ono, on the other hand, did not receive similar treatment. (Thanks, Marianne!)

May 29, 2001 from BroadwayOnline.com:
NEW YORK - Gwyneth Paltrow, Reba McEntire, Audra McDonald, and Brian Stokes Mitchell have joined the growing lineup of presenters on tap for the 2001 Tony Awards June 3 at Radio City Music Hall. At least two of the presenters have family connections. Gwyneth Paltrow is the daughter of Blythe Danner, nominated as Best Actress in a Musical. Sarah Jessica Parker is wife to Matthew Broderick, nominated as Best Actor in a Musical. A complete rundown of the musical numbers and scenes to be performed on the air by the Tony-nominated shows also was announced. They are as follows:

Backstage sequences from "The Producers," "42nd Street," "King Hedley II" and "The Full Monty" are also going to be on view.

May 28, 2001 from Theatre.com:
Tina Brown's Talk magazine puts "The Producers" on the cover of its June/July issue, examining how its political incorrectness has led to its success.

May 27, 2001 from Time(June 4 issue):
There's no jealousy like show jealousy, as Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick will no doubt discover Sunday night. Not only is "The Producers" up for 15 Tony Awards, but Lane and Broderick, who star in the musical, are hosts of the ceremony too. "Way back when they asked us to do it, nobody had been nominated yet," says Broderick, "so it wasn't like 'Oh, you've got 15 nominations, why don't you also host it?'" Aware that some may be rooting against "The Producers" juggernaut, Broderick says, "Well, we can't win all of them"--pause--"because we're up against ourselves for a few of them." Broderick and Lane will compete for Best Actor in a Musical ("I'm pretty sure he'll win," says Broderick) and try to be gracious. "Hopefully we'll be amusing and not have people throw vegetables at us."

May 25, 2001 from Theatre.com:
NEW YORK - William Ivey Long, whose costume designs for "The Producers" earned him a Tony nomination, is a two-time past winner ("Nine," "Crazy for You") who currently has five other shows running on Broadway: "The Music Man," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Contact," "Cabaret," and "Chicago."

A very important piece of material in the plot is Leo's "blue blankey," the tattered piece of blanket with which Matthew Broderick is obsessed. "We all worked on that one," recalls Long. "It went through many changes of texture and color. We ended up going with the one that the prop lady, Laura Koch [credited as Head Property Master], brought from home. I think it was an old electric blanket that's she chopped up to use as a rehearsal prop. But Matthew literally got used to his blanket. It's been washed, dry-cleaned..."

May 24, 2001 from Playbill:
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced that producers of shows other than "The Producers" and "42nd Street" are chafing at the face-time that may end up being granted those two shows, since "Producers" stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are co-hosting the event (and their musical may very possibly take home double-digit Tony wins), and "42nd Street" is seen as benefiting most from a subway opening number.

Several Tony presenters are now officially announced for the June 3 event at Radio City Music Hall. Lily Tomlin, who just finished a Tony-nominated revival run of "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," will be among the stars presenting that night, as will "The Heidi Chronicles'" Joan Allen and "Sunset Boulevard" Tony winner Glenn Close.

Dame Edna, whose "Royal Tour" earned a special Tony last year, will also be on hand, as will Edie Falco ("Side Man"), Sigourney Weaver ("Sex and Longing"), Jane Krakowski ("Grand Hotel") and Doris Roberts (TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond"). Sarah Jessica Parker, who co starred opposite hubby Matthew Broderick in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," will also present. Her husband will be extra-busy that night, though, since he's co-hosting the Tonys with his Producers co-star, Nathan Lane. Both are Tony Nominees for Best Actor in a Musical.

May 22, 2001 from Theatre.com:
Perhaps it was the driving rain. Perhaps it was the lull before the Tony Awards. But as of 10:45 AM on May 22 a ticket was sold at the box office of the St. James Theatre and no one followed to buy another. That's right: there was no line at "The Producers" for the first time in more than two months. By mid afternoon the rain had abated and the line was back in full force.

May 21, 2001 from Theatre.com:
NEW YORK - Broadway's twin juggernauts, "The Producers" and "Proof," came out on top in yet another theatrical awards ceremony May 20, this time winning Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Play in the 46th annual Drama Desk Awards. "The Producers" won 11 Drama Desk Awards, the most ever, beating previous record-holders "City of Angels" (1990) and "Sweeney Todd," (1979) which won 9 each. In addition to Outstanding Musical, "The Producers" won Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Nathan Lane), Outstanding Featured Actor and Actress in a Musical (Gary Beach and Cady Huffman), Outstanding Book of a Musical (Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan), Outstanding Lyrics (Brooks), and Outstanding Direction and Choreography (Susan Stroman), along with Outstanding Orchestrations (Doug Besterman), Set Design (Robin Wagner) and Costume Design (William Ivey Long).

When Lane won his award, he first commended the other Best Actor nominees. "In spite of all the jokes here tonight, we're all in this together." He went on to praise co-star Matthew Broderick: "We're a team, so this is for both of us." Lane also thanked director Susan Stroman, telling the audience, "Susan Stroman just called from Berkeley. She opened 'The Music Man' there." Finally, Lane paid tribute a man he called his inspiration. "If I share this with Matthew, I also share it with another great actor, Zero Mostel."

Broderick, said, "I was supposed to present with my wife, Sarah Jessica Parker, but she had an opportunity to go to Paris, and she took it. So Nathan is filling in... as he does so many nights."

May 20, 2001

"The Producers" collected multiple Tony nominations over brunch at the Marriott Marquis. An embarrassed Nathan Lane hid behind his, then he and co-star Matthew Broderick shared a laugh. (Photos by DMI/PageSix)

"The Producers'" Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick may not be competitive on stage, but they are facing off against each other at the Tony Awards in the Best Actor in a Musical category. May 16, the American Theatre Wing and League of American Theatres and Producers held the annual Tony Awards Brunch, where the nominees are given their nomination plaques and have a chance to meet and greet the press before facing the Tony Awards ceremony June 3. (Photo by Playbill)

from New York Times:
Many critics have pointed out that underlying Mel Brooks's withering satire is a tenderness for his characters and an unjaded infatuation with the very musical forms he is satirizing. That tenderness is embedded in the music, though the audience might miss it were it not for the performance of Matthew Broderick, whose Leo Bloom has an apt neurotic hysteria, punctuated with bouts of light-on-the-feet bravado.

As he proved in the revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Mr. Broderick is a lovely and articulate singer. His words are delivered with naturalness and clarity, like a gift to his listeners. He has an actor's voice, but his pitch is unfailing and his sound rich, slightly throbbing and touched with poignancy. So when he sings Mr. Brooks's homage to the soft-shoe song-and-dance number, "I Wanna Be a Producer," the effect is funny yet sweet. And when at Bialystock's trial he begins " 'Til Him," a takeoff on the sentimental Broadway love song, his singing is so unaffected and honest, you darn near get misty- eyed. That is, until the jurors, a chorus of old biddies, break into mock-angelic "ah-ah" refrains.

May 18, 2001

Matthew Broderick and Maximillian Schell at the Drama League 67th Annual Awards Luncheon at the Grand Hyatt last Friday May 11. More than 400 professionals, Drama League members and civilians were present. "The Producers" is the winner for Distinguished Production of a Musical. (Photo by NewYorkSocialDiary) (Thanks, Marianne!)

May 17, 2001 from New York Daily News:
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick gave a black T-shirt with the words "Bialystock & Bloom" to Cady Huffman as a gift. She wore it yesterday at the 2001 Tony Awards brunch.

from Yahoo! News:
(Variety) - On their night off stage, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Mary-Louise Parker (Tony-nominated for "Proof") and Michele Lee and members of "42nd Street," "Class Act" and "The Rocky Horror Show" performed at the Manhattan Theater Club's annual gala May 14, 2001, which raised $1,300,000. The MTC acquired the Biltmore theater on West 47th St. It will be restored so its future shows -- in a Broadway house -- will be eligible for Tonys without having to move as both "The Tale Of The Allergist's Wife" and "Proof" did to qualify.

May 16, 2001

Nathan Lane, left, and Matthew Broderick, of Broadway's "The Producers," pose with their nomination certificates at the 2001 Tony Awards brunch in New York, Wednesday, May 16, 2001. Lane and Broderick, both nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, will co-host the Tonys this year. (Photo by AP)

Actors Nathan Lane (L), Mary-Louis Parker (C), Matthew Broderick pose with certificates at a nominees brunch for the American Theater Wing's 55th Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards in New York on May 16, 2001. Lane and Broderick were nominated in the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical category for "The Producers." Parker was nominated in the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play category for "Proof." (Photo by Reuters)

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