'Producers' stars leave the stage

NEW YORK -- Goodbye to Broadway's original Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom.\nAfter nearly a year's run, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick left "The Producers" on Sunday, turning over the starring roles in Broadway's biggest hit in years to English actor Henry Goodman and television star Steven Weber.\nThe Mel Brooks musical, based on his 1968 film about two rapscallion Broadway producers who bilk investors out of their money by putting on a musical about Adolf Hitler, won't have to worry about sagging ticket sales. The show, which won a record 12 Tony Awards last June, is pretty much sold out for months to come.\nThe enthusiastic crowd at Sunday's matinee began standing and cheering even before the final curtain came down. After a teary Lane and Broderick took their bows, Brooks and director-choreographer Susan Stroman came on stage and presented their stars with bouquets of red roses.\n"We wanted to thank you for making us laugh for an entire year," Stroman said, as she wished them well "on your new adventures."\n"But when you are done with those film and TV folks," she added, "you need to come back."\nBrooks yelled out, "Ditto." The two actors didn't speak.\nLane collected a Tony for his portrayal of Bialystock, the role originated in the movie by Zero Mostel. Broderick was Bloom, the hapless accountant, played by Gene Wilder in the film.\nBoth roles are difficult, demanding parts, particularly Lane's, which, in the second act, required him to recapitulate the entire plot in one five-minute musical number that usually stopped the show.