Mel Brooks was so brazen in its satire that major studios would not touch it, nor would many exhibitors. Brooks finally found an independent distributor who released it as an art film, a specialized attraction. In 1968, Brooks received an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film, beating such writers as Stanley Kubrick and John Cassavetes. "The Producers" became a smash underground hit, first on the nationwide college circuit, then in revivals and on home video. Brooks later turned it into a musical, which became hugely successful on Broadway, receiving an unprecedented twelve Tony awards. With the moderate financial success of
Christopher Fitzgerald (actor) earned him another nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. On October 30, 2003, Fitzgerald premiered in the musical "Wicked" in the role of Boq. He departed the role on January 2, 2005 and was replaced by Jeffry Kuhn. Fitzgerald was seen in "Gutenberg! The Musical!" directed by Alex Timbers from December 3, 2006, and ran until May 6, 2007. He appeared as the character "Igor" in the Broadway production of the Mel Brooks musical "Young Frankenstein", which opened on Broadway in November 2007. For the role he received an Outer Critics Circle Award,