Character Relationship Map: The Producers

Characters

• Max Bialystock (played by Zero Mostel) — protagonist

  Down-on-his-luck Broadway producer who schemes to commit fraud by producing a guaranteed flop.

• Franz Liebkind (played by Kenneth Mars) — supporting

  Reclusive German playwright who wrote the controversial Nazi-themed musical.

• Roger De Bris (played by Christopher Hewett) — supporting

  Flamboyant director hired to stage the disastrous musical with camp aesthetics.

• Ulla (played by Lee Meredith) — supporting

  Swedish chorus girl who becomes the romantic interest of both Franz and Roger.

Key Relationships

• Franz Liebkind → Roger De Bris (Professional Production Associate)
• Max Bialystock → Ulla (Professional Employer-Receptionist)
• Roger De Bris → Ulla (Romantic Interest)
• Franz Liebkind → Ulla (Romantic Interest)
• Max Bialystock → Roger De Bris (Professional Employer-Director)
• Max Bialystock → Franz Liebkind (Professional Producer-Playwright)

Story Analysis

A desperate producer's plan to profit from a guaranteed flop collapses when the offensive musical unexpectedly becomes a success.

Plot Progression

1. The Accounting Gamble
2. A Musical Built to Fail
3. The Hit Nobody Wanted
4. Explosion and Judgment
5. A Prison Production