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LANES REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS

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LANES REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS

Joe Mike2
#0LANES REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:05am

Did anyone see Nathan Lane's first replacement in THE PRODUCERS? The one who got fired after only a few weeks. I just wondered what his performance was like and if he deserved to go.

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LizzieCurry
#1re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:07am

You mean Henry Goodman?
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/96330.html


"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt

BSoBW2
#2re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:09am

My uncle saw him.

The man was boring and terrible.

Mel Brooks admitted to his folly.

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WickedOne2
#3re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:17am

I thought Gene Gabriel was his understudy. Thank God Nathan and Matthew were both in the show when I saw it. I love them together. Oh and Brad Garrett was hysterical.


"I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tightrope dancer, so that no incompetent would dare step upon it." Goethe

BSoBW2
#4re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:18am

Wrong show.

PJ
#5re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:19am

Not The Odd Couple. The Producers.

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WickedOne2
#6re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:26am

Oops.. sorry... I really should go to bed as I am typing while I am half asleep.


"I wish the stage were as narrow as the wire of a tightrope dancer, so that no incompetent would dare step upon it." Goethe

ZONEACE
#7re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:26am

I rather enjoyed Henry Goodman. I thought he and Steven Weber worked good together.


when ducks grow thumbs then maybe my opinion will change.

BSoBW2
#8re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:27am

^WELL^ together.

ZONEACE
#9re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:33am

COUGHgrammanaziCOUGH


when ducks grow thumbs then maybe my opinion will change.

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SamIAm
#10re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 10:00am

Goodman created a dark and more threatening vision of Max that just did not work. He is a fine actor but was NOT meant for that role and Brooks made a similar mistake with Dreyfuss in the U.K. That one would have cost them big time if Lane hadn't bailed out their butts by going over there.

Brad Oscar is probably the only other Max I've really liked. Once he came into his own in the role, he was really marvelous.


"Life is a lesson in humility"

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Calvin
#11re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 11:26am

I saw him in his first week. He was dropping a lot of lines and getting lyrics screwed up. Just not a good fit for him.

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ShuQ
#12re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 11:39am

SamIAm....Lewis Stadlen does it amazingly.

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GClef2
#13re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 12:17pm

lol bsobw2


"The only way we live beyond our lives is to connect and carve ourselves into the souls of those we love." -Little Fish

Joe Mike2
#14re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 8:08pm

Was Goodman's interpretation of the role different, or was he just bad at imitating Nathan Lane? Or just plain bad? The reason I ask is beacuse I've seen him in other things and he's a wonderful actor.

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Horton
#15re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 8:12pm

I agree he was nothing short of wonderfull in Tartuffe (sp?)

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NYC_or_Bust
#16re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 8:12pm

Why was the guy fired?


I adore the black band holding on the Phantom's mask. ~ Jenna2

ZONEACE
#17re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 8:13pm

Goodman's interpretaion of Max was darker than Lane's. I personally enjoyed that way of playing it.


when ducks grow thumbs then maybe my opinion will change.

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jonartdesigns
#18re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/17/05 at 10:02pm

if his max is anything like his billy flynn i can see why he got canned. I for one found his Flynn to be horrid on the london revival recording, he seemd to make billy too nice at all the wrong times and not nearly sleazy enough.


"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel

Joe Mike2
#19re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/18/05 at 8:59pm

You can tell all that from the CD? How do you know how sleazy his performance was if you didn't see it. He got rave reviews in the role.

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jonartdesigns
#20re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/18/05 at 9:25pm

well i'll rephrase, just for you. In the dialogue portions of the cd, in particular his section in mr. cellophane he didn't come off cold and conniving as i like my billy flynns (and how i play him) he seemed to literally be asking the question, as opposed to making a statement and really emphasizing the "would ya" part. Things like that led me to my conclusion. Also i watched some documentary on the making of the london production several times(it was on a video tape of tv appearances i got offline) and what it showed supported my views.


"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel

Joe Mike2
#21re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/20/05 at 12:23am

i still think you're full of it, but everyone is entitled to their own wrong opinion.

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SamIAm
#22re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/20/05 at 1:53pm

I love Lewis Stadlen too (his Banjo was a thing of beauty), but I have heard people say they didn't like his Max.

I think that Oscar is probably second to Lane but I would love to see Stadlen play the role.

As for Goodman, and his being dark...the idea that this show (which is supposed to be a musical comedy) could support over two and a half hours of a Max that was somewhat unlikable was not something that the creative team bought into.

Goodman IS a wonderful actor, but not everyone is cut out to play every role.


"Life is a lesson in humility"

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South Fl Marc
#23re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/20/05 at 4:33pm

I adore Lewis Stadlen, his Pangloss (and other characters) in Candide is still one of my favorite performances, not to mention his Banjo, but I found his Max too one dimensional.

I saw Henry Goodman right before he was fired and I thought his Max was very good. The producers and "creative" team obviously wanted a carbon copy of Nathan Lane. Well if they wanted that, they should never have hired an accomplished actor who probably has never copied a performance in his career. This shows the lack of creatvity of the "creative" team. But then since most of them went on to do the bomb of a movie known as The Producers, they have shown just how uncreative they really are.

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SamIAm
#24re: LANE'S REPLACEMENT IN THE PRODUCERS
Posted: 12/20/05 at 5:08pm

I won't disagree with you because we are all entitled to our opinion, but I will say that I know several people who watched Goodman during the rehearsal process and said he just didn't GET the character. I am not insulting him as an actor. I happen to think he is very good, but I repeat...I don't think he was right for Max.

As for the movie...I've seen it twice and happened to enjoy the throwback to the old movie musicals and I understand Brooks' desire to capture the stage show (as closely as possible) for posterity.

If you don't care for the show in general (which it appears you do not) I would say it may be hard for you to objective about the show, Lane's replacements OR the movie.


"Life is a lesson in humility"