BWW Reviews: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Is Alive! at L.A.'s Pantages Theatre

There is no denying that Mel Brooks is a comedy legend. An offspring of stand-up comedy, early sitcom one-liners, and the art of biting parody, Brooks' oeuvre harkens back to a time when getting laughs meant less cynical snark but, rather, more outlandish farce and the endless use of double-entendres and wordplay. Brooks' iconic brand of gut-busting humor is perhaps best displayed in his most notable film work, particularly Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, The Producers and Young Frankenstein. It was a surprise to no one, then, that his adaptation of The Producers into a full-tilt, high-camp Broadway musical was met with overwhelming praise, including a record-shattering 12 Tony Award wins in 2001 and a healthy run of more than 2,500 performances, followed by a string of successful national and international productions. So certainly, adapting another lauded Brooks property into a musical comedy for the stage appeared to be a safe bet all around.

The resulting product is YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Brooks' stage musical iteration of his cult hit film that he directed and co-wrote with star Gene Wilder. Essentially a faithful translation of the horror movie parody (that also starred Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn and Cloris Leachman), the new musical version—now performing at the Pantages Theatre through August 8—features plenty of Brooks' signature silliness, now paired with several relatively amusing songs, all penned by Brooks. Many of the iconic, often obsessively-quoted scenes from the film are reverently recreated for the stage, generally retaining most of its original funny results. However, while the show itself has plenty of delightfully giddy moments and genuinely hilarious scenes sprinkled throughout, the show somehow just stops short of becoming the universally beloved musical that Brooks' earlier stage show managed to be so much more effortlessly.

Taking cues from Brooks' 1974 Oscar®-nominated revisionist take on Mary Shelley's classic novel, this musicalized version is set in 1934, where we first encounter a village celebration in the sleepless little burg called Transylvania Heights. The townsfolk are rejoicing—yes, rejoicing—at a funeral procession for the town's famous "mad scientist" Dr. Victor Von Frankenstein. Meanwhile across the pond, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Roger Bart)—the Dean of Anatomy Studies at New York's Johns, Miriam and Anthony Hopkins School of Medicine—faces a quandry: he learns that he has inherited his now-deceased grandfather's castle in Transylvania. Ashamed of his eccentric roots—so much so that he insists his last name be pronounced Fronk-ehn-steeen—the doctor must now decide whether to stay as a respected scientist in America with non-touching fiancée Elizabeth (Beth Curry) or live up to the "family business" by continuing his grandfather's notorious practice of demented experiments with re-animating dead things in the old country.

To settle out the issues regarding his newly acquired real estate, Frankenstein reluctantly travels to Transylvania and is met there by Igor (Cory English), the diminutive, hump-backed grandson of Victor's original henchman. Igor (incidentally, pronounced Eye-Gore) wishes to follow his own grandfather's footsteps and serve under the younger Frankenstein. Thinking ahead, Igor enlists a gorgeous, local community college-trained laboratory assistant named Inga (Anne Horak), who has a penchant for innocent "rolls in the hay" and yodeling. Once the trio arrive at the castle (via one naughty wagon ride), they are oddly welcomed by the unsettling Frau Blücher (scene-stealing Joanna Glushak), whose very name elicits horrific neighs from the horses.

While asleep in a dream state in the castle's great hall, Frankenstein is soon convinced by the dancing ghosts of his grandfather and various ancestors (visions of the merry spirits at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride immediately come to mind) to carry on the family legacy and build a "monster" from scratch. The idea intrigues him.

He and Inga—replaying one of the orginal film's most famous sequences—discover a secret entrance through a revolving bookcase ("Put... the candle... back!"). Led by mysterious violin music played by his grandfather's secret girlfriend, they find his hidden lab in the bowels of the castle. Encouraged by the detailed book left behind by his grandfather, Frankenstein resolves then and there to forge through with the experiments. Suffice it to say, high-jinks and mayhem ensue after Frankenstein manages to reanimate a gigantic corpse (Shuler Hensley) with less than...well, eloquent results.

One recurring device synonymous with Brooks is his go-to usage of puns and randy double-entendres. In YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN he has actually created an entire glossary for every possible innuendo to describe sex, body parts and the acts that involve sex and body parts. The nomenclature is far from offensive (a typical example: "Inga is assisting his brains out"). Rather, it exposes the harmless, yet insistent wit of a comic genius, even though some lines land better than others. The book, comparatively, is noticeably much more developed than most of the music, though there are plenty of gems with the latter ("Together Again," "He Vas My Boyfriend," "Deep Love").

Unfortunately, during the opening night performance at the Pantages Theatre, the sound mix seemed quite off (microphones are either way up or not on at all), causing parts of the presumably witty dialogue and quickly-dispensed lyrics to become, in many instances, really difficult to understand (a comment shared by many patrons in the lobby during intermission). Luckily, as someone a tad familiar with the cast album, some of the funnier lines that got garbled by the speakers didn't just disappear into the rafters for this reviewer.

These relatively minor gripes aside, what does work emphatically well in this admirable production—besides the excellent costumes by William Ivey Long and the richly detailed sets by Robin Wagner—is the incredible, standout performances of this touring ensemble. Led by a terrific set of leads, every single member of the company sings and dances with great enthusiasm, talent and gusto.

Bart, reprising the role that he originated on Broadway, displays an effortless comic timing and a beautifully melodic, yet appropriately comical singing voice. His counterparts match him line-for-hysterical-line: English makes Igor adorable and worthy of every sight gag. Horak and Curry are not only blessed with gorgeous singing voices, they are also blessed with the bawdy brawn of the great comediennes. Glushak, hands down, steals each scene she's in with just a mere shift of a glance and that inescapable accent. Even Brad Oscar (who, like Bart, is an alumnus of The Producers) does great work with his dual role of wood-appendaged Inspector Kemp and the blind lonely hermit. And finally, as Frankenstein's Monster himself, Hensley (reprising the role he also originated in the Broadway production) does impressive work as usual, most notably in his showstopping moment warbling through Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On The Ritz." Hensley proves that he is powerfully imposing in both comedy as he is in dramatic work (watch his DVD-captured, Tony-winning performance in Trevor Nunn's terrific revival of Oklahoma!)

With source material that is generally regarded as one of Brooks' funniest films, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN—the musical—packs on a fair amount of running gags, screwball moments, over-the-top pandemonium, and endearingly vaudevillian staging that is genuinely entertaining. Like Brooks' gargantuan hit The Producers, he reunites with both Thomas Meehan to write the funny book and Susan Stroman for direction and wonderful choreography. Comparisons to that earlier, more universally-lauded musical is unavoidable, unfortunately. Thus, it becomes a benchmark that YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN just doesn't quite reach, even though all indications point to a hardworking, super-talented cast and an excellent, well-meaning creative team behind it. But rest assured, this show will still coax a lot of smiles and many loud bursts of laughter, and some of the songs will have you tapping and giggling with glee—even if you can't quite decipher some of those rapid-fire lyrics.

Read BWW Atlanta's Interview with star Roger Bart: HERE.

Photos by Paul Kolnik. Top Set: Shuler Hensley (the Monster) & Roger Bart (Frankenstein);
Cory English (Igor, in back), Roger Bart & Anne Horak (Inga, foreground).
Middle Set: Shuler Hensley & Roger Bart; Joanna Glushak (Frau Blücher).

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The strictly limited two-week engagement of the National Tour production of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN continues at the Pantages Theatre through August 8, 2010.

The national touring cast of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN stars Tony Award winners Roger Bart as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein and Shuler Hensley as The Monster in this Los Angeles Premiere. Bart and Hensley who both starred in the original Broadway production will be joined by Cory English (Igor), Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar (Inspector Kemp / Blind Hermit), Beth Curry (Elizabeth), Joanna Glushak (Frau Blücher) and Anne Horak (Inga). The cast also includes Lawrence Alexander, Preston Truman Boyd, Stephen Carrasco, Jennifer Lee Crowl, James Gray, Stacey Todd Holt, Shauna Hoskin, Matthew Brandon Hutchens, Kristin Marie Johnson, Sara Lin Johnson, Melina Kalomas, Amanda Kloots-Larsen, Kevin Ligon, Brittany Marcin, Christopher Ryan, Lara Seibert, Geo Seery, Jennifer Smith, Matthew Vargo and Erick R. Walck.

The performance schedule for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm.

Tickets range in price from $25 - $85, although prices are subject to change without notice. The Pantages Theatre is located in Hollywood at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard at Vine Street.

Tickets are available online at www.BroadwayLA.org or by calling 1-800-982-ARTS(2787). Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Pantages Box Office and all Ticketmaster ticket outlets.

For more information, please visit the Pantages Theatre's official website at www.BroadwayLA.org. For more information on YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, please visit www.YoungFrankensteinTheMusical.com.

Following the Los Angeles engagement, the National Tour of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN will also travel to Costa Mesa for a two-week engagement at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, September 12-25.

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