Can Hitler Be Funny… In Israel?

The Producers may be a global box-office smash, but there are still certain places you just wouldn’t expect a musical centered around a fictional work of theatre called “Springtime for Hitler” to show up. Israel, for instance. But there it is on the marquee: The Producers will be making its Tel Aviv debut this month – in Hebrew, no less. “In a nation created out of the Holocaust, where at least a quarter-million survivors of the catastrophe still live, it is — to say the least — a bold artistic and commercial move.” The artistic director of the theatre where the show will be staged says that Israelis are a “mature” audience with a good sense of humor, and doesn’t expect any problems.