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
Danielle Brooks regular for the show's second season. In September 2013, Brooks was cast in a Season 3 episode of the HBO series "Girls", where she played the first black woman on the show. On May 27, 2015, the media announced that Brooks would make her Broadway debut in the upcoming fall 2015 revival of "The Color Purple" as Sofia. The musical opened on December 10 at the Bernard B. Jacobs, to critical acclaim. Brooks received praise for her performance, and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Danielle Brooks Danielle Brooks (born September 17,