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How Do You Solve a Problem Like Gene Wilder?

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I was privileged to see a production of “Young Frankenstein” at the Kennedy Center a couple years back. It starred Roger Bart as Dr. Frankenstein, and it was good. It was really, really good. But the casting (of Dr. Frankenstein) was off. Bart’s performance was distractingly understated, and Dr. Frankenstein ain’t exactly an understated guy, ya know?

Cut to yesterday. I re-watched the (extraordinarily uneven) movie musical remake of “The Producers.” Matthew Broderick plays Leo Bloom. And it’s hard for me to put into words how much I hate this particular recast. I just found his performance…off-putting. There’s no other way to say it.

Roger Bart (who is normally great and was–interestingly–perfect as Carmen Ghia in the remake of “The Producers”), Matthew Broderick. What do these two–routinely good–performers have in common? They were trying to replace the inimitable Gene Wilder. And I’m just not certain that can be done. Not well, at least.

I found his performances in “The Producers” and “Young Frankenstein” (and “Blazing Saddles,” for that matter) unforgettable. Let’s face it: Gene Wilder is not just a comic actor, he is a comedy icon. And I think he may be genuinely irreplaceable.

Why is this remarkable? Because it’s rare. Most actors in most performances could be recast, often with wonderful results. A new actor can, if not improve upon a role, give it a reboot. I’ve seen it happen on soaps again and again. A role is recast with a new actress–sometimes a shockingly odd choice–and the new performer, either because of her acting chops or her chemistry with other performers or just sheer affability, makes you forget the role was ever played by anyone different.

And that’s not limited to soaps. Recasting “Cape Fear” must have been daunting task, but Robert DeNiro and Nick Nolte were dazzling in the remake.

So I’m wondering, what makes a role impossible to recast? An iconic role? An iconic actor? A combination of the two? Is it comedy that’s harder to put your own stamp on?

What roles do you think could never be recast?

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