Goodman Considers Reprisals & Redirections???

Clarke Peters may have pulled out of his upcoming London gig (See News, 17 Jul 02), but his fellow Follies leading man, Henry Goodman, is going nowhere. Which isn't to say he hasn't got a few aces up his sleeve. Goodman, you'll remember, was famously sacked from the Broadway production of Mel Brooks' hit The Producers (See News, 16 Apr 02) - after less than 30 performances and before being allowed to face the critics. But rather than staying bitter, Goodman is getting busy. In addition to the Sondheim musical revival at the Royal Festival Hall next month, the double Olivier Award-winning actor has plans to direct more productions. He revealed in an interview this week in The Times that he'd put his name in the hat for the artistic directorships of both the Almeida Theatre (jointly with Matthew Lloyd) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (though "they never called back so I thought, sod it"). While those applications were unsuccessful - the former went to Michael Attenborough, the latter is due to be announced this month - Goodman remains undeterred. "I'm still passionate and idealistic about theatre, and directing/teaching is now what I want to do," he told interviewer Robert Gore-Langton. Neither has he given up on The Producers, whose West End transfer is slated for 2003. "Sure, I want to do the London show when it comes here," he confirmed, despite the face that he rates his chances of being cast as "roughly nil".

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