Hasselhoff In Drag For ‘The Producers’

NEW YORK (AP) — From the surf and sand of “Baywatch” to the flamboyant Roger DeBris.

David Hasselhoff will appear in the Las Vegas production of “The Producers,” portraying the outrageous director who wears a dress that makes him look like the Chrysler Building and gets to tap dance as a show-biz-loving Adolf Hitler.

“The Producers” begins performances Jan. 31 at Paris Las Vegas. Brad Oscar will play the opportunistic Max Bialystock in the production. No word yet on who will be nebbish accountant Leo Bloom in this stage version of Mel Brooks’ 1968 movie about a pair of con artists who overfinance a Broadway musical in the hopes of producing a flop. The Broadway production has been playing at the St. James Theatre since April 2001.

“I am honored to be a part of anything Mel Brooks is involved with,” said Hasselhoff, who has appeared on Broadway in “Jekyll & Hyde.” “He has always been my favorite man of comedy.”

Said Brooks in return: Hasselhoff “has an incredible comedic timing, terrific musical theater experience and a stage presence that I think will be a perfect marriage with the role. And, by the way, he has great legs for that dress.”

Besides appearing as Lt. Mitch Buchannon in the popular TV series about lifeguards protecting the beaches of Southern California, Hasselhoff has starred in such TV shows as “The Young and the Restless” and “Knight Rider.”