Nazi-Mocking Producers Coming to Berlin

'The Producers' inspires uneasy laughs with its German debut

(NEWSER) - The Producers has goose-stepped its way onto a German stage 76 years after the springtime when Hitler took power, the New York Times reports. There were plenty of laughs—if sometimes uneasy ones—on opening night Sunday, but the Nazi-mocking musical and its swastika-laden ads prompted a fresh round of soul-searching in the press over Germany's past. More»

(NEWSER) - The Broadway hit musical comedy The Producers finally opened in Berlin to boffo box office receipts—but not before in intense sales push to break through German reluctance to see an ersatz Hitler hamming it up on stage, reports the Los Angeles Times. "If you put it on most places, then it's a jolly musical about friendship and trust," said producer Falk Walter. "If you put it on in Berlin, Hitler is the dominant theme." More»

(NEWSER) - Hitler's autobiography-manifesto Mein Kampf has been strictly banned in Germany since the end of World War II, but a proposal to reprint it has the endorsement of the country's leading Jewish organization, among other groups, reports the Independent. "A historically critical edition needs to be prepared today to prevent neo-Nazis profiting from it," said the head of the Central Council of Jews. But politicians and many academics oppose the effort. More»

Network provides glimpse of megalomaniac's plans for world capital

(NEWSER) - Berlin has opened three vast tunnels under the city built as part of Adolf Hitler's vision of a grandiose Nazi capital, Reuters reports. The tunnels were to house a transit system beneath planned boulevards, squares, and huge buildings, including a Great Hall with room for 180,000 people. The Albert Speer-designed plans for the new capital—known as "Germania"—were halted by the outbreak of World War II. More»

Access to banned book would sap its power, some Germans argue

(NEWSER) - Adolf Hitler's banned hate-filled manifesto Mein Kampf should be returned to the nation's bookstores, some Germans argue. A critical edition—annotated to put the tome "into context"—would demystify it and shed light on the author's mad ramblings, they say. The push comes as the book's copyright nears expiration, raising worries that new reprints could be misused by far-right extremists, reports Time. More»