Sunday, December 4, 2005

HERE'S MY VISOR, MY DIXON TICONDEROGA #2 PENCIL, AND MY BIG FINISH! So I was thinking again about that article on the non-"star"ness of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and trying to figure out this: if they had decided to recast The Producers with bigger names for its film adaptation, who should it have been?

Here's my first pass: I don't know if he can sing, but it strikes me that Al Pacino's constant overplaying and mugging for the camera might make him a perfect Max Bialystock. All the traits that make him occasionally unbearable work perfectly in that role, and I can easily envision him barreling his way through big numbers like "Betrayed" ("Wait a minute! My name's not Alvin! That's not my life! I'm not a hillbilly. I grew up in the Bronx! Leo's taken everything. Even my past!") It's about time Pacino did a Brando-in-The-Freshman and ran with his excesses for comedic gain.

And for Leo Bloom? I know Edward Norton can sing, because I remember his light touch on "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and "Just You, Just Me" from Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You. We know he can pull off the innocent-lured-astray. The only question would be whether an actor so often interested in dramatic and challenging roles would be interested in doing musical work.

Your nominees are, of course, welcome.

No comments:

Post a Comment