Baywatch alum and former Broadway Jekyll and Hyde star David Hasselhoff will return to the stage as flamboyant director Roger De Bris in the Las Vegas company of The Producers. Brad Oscar, who earned a Tony nomination in the original Broadway company as Franz Liebkind and took over the role of Max Bialystock after Nathan Lane's departure, is also set to reprise his role as Bialystock. The Mel Brooks musical comedy will start performances at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel on January 31, 2007.
In a statement, Brooks says he is overjoyed to have Hasselhoff in the cast, declaring that the actor's “incredible comedic timing, terrific musical theater experience and stage presence…will be a perfect marriage with the role. And by the way, he has great legs for that dress!" When first seen onstage in his over-the-top New York apartment, Roger is dressed in a ballgown, a sight sure to startle some of Hasselhoff's longtime fans.
Hasselhoff, likewise, raves, “I'm honored to be a part of anything Mel Brooks is a part of. He has always been my favorite man of comedy. He is a giant and it is a dream come true to be part of one of the greatest Broadway musicals in theater history." The actor is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "The Most Watched TV Star in the World" due to his starring roles on both Knight Rider and Baywatch. He also starred on stage as Billy Flynn in the London production of Chicago in 2004 and was seen on film in Dodgeball and in Adam Sandler's Click. Most recently, Hasselhoff sparred with Brandy as a judge on the NBC reality show America's Got Talent.
The Producers, which holds the honor of winning the most Tony Awards in Broadway history, will be shortened to 90 minutes with no intermission for its Sin City run. It is the most recent in a string of Broadway-to-Vegas transfers that have included Avenue Q, The Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray. Spamalot is also set to open in 2007 at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort.
