YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN: THE NEW MEL BROOKS MUSICAL
Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meeham
Music and lyrics by Mel Brooks
Starring Christopher Ryan, Preston Truman Boyd, Cory English, David Benoit, Janine Divita, Joanna Glushak and Synthia Linx
Direction and Choreography by Susan Stroman
Mel Brooks made Young Frankenstein, one of my favorite films and one of the best comedies of all time. The tale of making a man out of dead tissue was turned onto its head. The cast of Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Terri Garr, Marty Feldman and Peter Boyle delivered a film that has stood the test of time.
When it was announced that Mel had decided to make his second Broadway musical the story of Young Frankenstein, I was thrilled. But as the play made its way to the Great White Way, there were disturbing rumors. Talk of high ticket prices and a cavernous space almost doomed the play even before it make its debut. After a little over a year, Young Frankenstein the musical version, closed.
Now we are getting a taste of the show in the national tour playing at the great Winspear Opera House in Dallas. In some ways the work is a triumph and in others a mini-tragedy.
The play opens with "The Happiest Town" and introduction to the ensemble in Transylvania and Inspector Kemp (David Benoit). With all the anticipation, this number falls totally flat. Though the costumes are breath-taking, the tune just doesn't give any push. We meet the good doctor Frederick (Christopher Ryan) with "The Brain" a scene that parallels the opening of the film. Again another missive. It seems that the cast is doing everything to win the audience but fails in the attempt. While Christopher Ryan is charming and has a great voice, he doesn't have the comic chops needed for the role. At time he just murders his comedic set-ups and distractedly delivers his jokes. In other words, he's no Gene Wilder.
Frederick takes off to the family home and on the steam ship dock we finally meet his betrothed Elizabeth (Janine Divita). Her number "Please Don't Touch Me" is meant to be cute and vapid but comes across as shrill. Janine doesn't seem to have a grip on the role, giving the reading a irritating tinge. But, boy o'boy, what a voice. She fills every space of the Opera house with a timbre that could have been heard in Oklahoma. Later in the show, during the musical number "Deep Love" she lets that stunning beast of a vocal monster out on the crowd, rattling the rafters with the notes.
At the railroad station in Transylvania, the musical takes off. In a classic show-stopper moment, we meet Igor (Cory English) This is the point where the entire musical is saved. He has a duet with Christopher Ryan called "Together Again" where the two become fast friends. It is a jaunty little ditty that just wins over the audience. The two work perfectly together and Cory English just steals every moment he can, from sitting on a chair to driving the stallion team. He is from the original cast on Broadway and finds every beat in the character.
We meet the next cast member in a cute little ditty called "Roll in the Hay" Inga (Synthia Link) just captures the spirit of Terri Garr, while making the role her own. She slinks and turns with an innocent sensuality that never becomes overly crass, The puppet horses are a hoot.
The penultimate character of Frau Blucher (Joanna Glushak). There is the braying horses whenever her name is mentioned. Her "He Vas My Boyfriend" gives her a moment in the spotlight. After that, the first act falls flat as Frederick realizes his Grandfather vision of making a monster.
The Second Act starts with the escaped monster (Preston Truman Boyd) trying to be captured and Elizabeth coming into the Transylvanian world. The monster meets the hermit (David Benoit) singing the song "Please Send Me Someone". The shtick with the soup and the cigar from the movie miss the mark in the cavernous theater.
The highlight of the second act is "Putting on the Ritz" the Irving Berlin number. In the original film, the number appeared about half-way through, but here it is meant to be the big, show stopping number. It does not disappoint. While it starts almost as a parallel to the film, it soon takes off with the principals joining in. The monster does a fancy back-lit tap dance that harks to Loony Tunes. It is the number of the entire production and while not being the closer, it is close to being the ending number. The play ends its run with the aforementioned "Deep Love"
The sets and scenery are not up to the standards of the Broadway theater version, but for a touring company, they are some of the most impressive sets to grace the boards in Big-D. The massive backdrops are almost a character and the scenes of the monster being created are on a par with a traveling rock show, full of strobes, lights and fog.
The problem with Young Frankenstein The Musical is a problem they can never fix. Young Frankenstein the movie is a part of American culture and the performances are just engrained in the minds of a generation of film patrons. Every time one sees the musical cast, they think that it is not the original actor. While some finds new life in the roles, other are just pale imitations. And imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery.
But the good of Young Frankenstein The Musical outweigh the bad. It works almost all the time and is a play that should not be missed.
