Goodman Pays Back Producers with Tartuffe???

Two-time Olivier winner (and seven-times nominee) Henry Goodman has made one of the fastest Broadway comebacks ever. Just nine months after his ignominious sacking from The Producers, Goodman has triumphed on Broadway in the title role of Tartuffe, which opened 9 January 2003. Much to the chagrin of many American actors, Goodman was hired last year to replace role originator Nathan Lane as Broadway con man Max Bialystock in the mega-hit musical The Producers. But show producer and creator Mel Brooks evidently felt that Goodman was not funny enough in the role and fired him – to international headlines and pronouncements that Goodman’s Broadway future was doomed – just four weeks in and before the critics had a chance to pass judgement (See News, 16 Apr 2002). Now, Goodman’s performance in the Moliere classic has received ecstatic reviews, particularly in the almighty New York Times, whose critic Ben Brantley wrote: “Having now seen Mr Goodman’s charismatic eely Tartuffe, who brings to mind John Barrymore being sinister in a silent movie, I have to say that I feel cheated by having missed his Max….It is New York’s good fortune now to have Mr Goodman strutting his stuff in high, nasty style.” Luckily, for British theatregoers, New York won’t be monopolising Goodman’s time. This summer, he’ll return to the Royal Shakespeare Company stage for the first time in 15 years in order to take on the title role in Sean Holmes July 2003 production of Richard III at Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

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