Interview: Of Monsters, Mad Scientists, and Mel Brooks

"Mel Brooks' genius lies not only in that he has created these incredibly hilarious films, but he has written the musical scores as well." The speaker is Jeremiah James, one of the stars of Young Frankenstein, the blockbuster fourth mainstage show of Maine State Music Theatre's 2015 season, which comes to a close n August 22. James, as well as his colleagues, Missy Dowse (Inga), Dance Captain Buddy Reeder, Music Director Samuel Thorne Bagala, and MSMT's Director of Development Barbara Whidden are talking with BWW's Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold to a standing-room-only crowd in the last of the summer's Peek Behind the Curtain interview series on August 12 at Brunswick's Curtis Memorial Library. The lively panel is eloquent about Young Frankenstein and about their summer experience at MSMT.

Continuing his analysis of Mel Brooks's comedic gift, James says, "He invented this slapstick humor - the setup, knock down joke genre. It's a kind of comedy hardly done these days. He has a rare sensibility; his comedy cuts directly to the heart of everyone there; the jokes are straightforward, and there is no confusion about what we are trying to get across. His brilliance is that he takes the joke right to you every single night."

Missy Dowse, who gets to romp through the delicious role of Inga, agrees. "I grew up with Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, and I love his setups and double entendres. They are constantly fun to play. I am actually a person who loves fun and is a bit zany in real life," she confesses. "But in this role, I still have to make everything I do come from an honest place. I can't put anything between myself and my character. My reactions as Inga are my very own truthful ones. I simply have to trust the material and be as honest as I can."

James concurs and feels that an additional factor in the appeal of the show is the universal fascination with the Frankenstein myth. "It's a classic, iconic story that is built into our culture and often reimagined." The actor, who had also appeared in Billy Butler's Gay Bride of Frankenstein, "a ridiculously funny cross between Scooby Do and Rocky Horror," says the many takes on the legend are "ways to bring the story to a new audience, ways of tapping into older memories and bridging the generation gap."

In addition to the humor of the storyline, Bagala finds Mel Brooks' score to be a large part of the show's appeal. "I love performing this score," Bagala (who plays keyboards and conducts) says. "You are playing almost the entire evening; everything is underscored, so the orchestra gets to highlight every dramatic moment of the show. It is a three-hour workout, but it is also a fantastic experience!"

Bagala, who trained at Boston Conservatory as a classical pianist -("I found classical technique to be a good basis for anything I wanted to do") - says he has always been drawn to musical theatre because "it is such an eclectic genre." He recalls that from the time he saw Beauty and the Beast as a youngster, he knew musical theatre was his calling. "After my sophomore year in high school, I made up my mind and never looked back."

His fellow Young Frankenstein colleagues praise Bagala's mainstage debut in the pit. Reeder says "As dance captain and ensemble performer, I did not have one time on stage when I had to think about the music. It was crystal clear all the time. Sam is such a joy to work with!" James, who also has a notable career as a singer and recording artist, seconds the assessment calling Bagala "an absolute rock star."

To achieve that clarity and balance between pit and stage, however, takes some careful planning on the part of the musicians and sound designer (Brett Rothstein). Bagala says he wears headphones in the pit "and dials up his preferred blend of vocals and band. It's like listening to the MSMT cast recording sound track of Young Frankenstein," he quips. And he realizes he must be attentive about "not letting the musical underscoring cover the stage dialogue." And all this has to be achieved with only five hours of orchestra rehearsal. "We have highly skilled musicians to whom I send all the cuts and notes they need in advance, and they come in ready to go on the Tuesday night before the Wednesday previews."

The orchestra is not the only group who must work with lightening speed to create the consummate show the audience gets to see. The panel praises the extraordinary abilities of Director/Choreographer Marc Robin, the technical crew, and the company interns. James and Dowse talk about the intricate technical aspects of Young Frankenstein, including the "flying" laboratory table cum bed which carries Frederick and Inga into the rafters and down again. "Safety constraints require both actors to wear harnesses" Whidden explains, mentioning that MSMT hired a company which specializes in these kind of stage moments to facilitate the effects and insure everyone's well-being, and James and Dowse say they always felt "very safe and well-looked after" and enjoyed the adventure.

Adventures of discovery take place during the rehearsal process as well. Reeder, who has been Robin's longtime colleague and assistant - "I've worked for him [Robin] with twenty-two years, and Young Frankenstein is our seventy-first show together" - shares what makes Robin such a delight. "It has been fun to watch Marc grow from a young director to the artist he is today, doing musicals, straight plays and a whole spectrum of material, but comedy is his special thing. He is really smart; he knows how to set up a scene, a joke, or a situation and lay it down. It is remarkable to watch how his brain works!"

Reeder's job as Dance Captain is to help Robin set numbers with the cast and help him to polish them, as well as to make any adjustments needed when the unexpected happens. He gives the example of a young performer in Young Frankenstein who injured her wrist and could not hold the cane for "Puttin' on the Ritz. During intermission Reeder quickly rearranged the choreography to accommodate her and to make sure no one in the audience noticed. Reeder goes on to praise his director's entire rehearsal strategy. "Marc doesn't like to waste anyone's time. He often works out of order, and he puts the show together in five days and only thirty-two Equity hours of rehearsal, as if it were a jigsaw puzzle. Then we have a whole week to fine tune. Marc likes to work as a collaborator and build on the strengths of individual artists."

Working alongside the Equity performers are MSMT's performance interns, and the accomplishments of this summer's crop of young artists is lauded by the panel and members of the audience. "I think they [the interns] have it much harder now than I did in my twenties," Reeder opines. "The amount of work they do is daunting to me! They load in, strike the sets, rehearse, do eight shows a week, and they always have a smile and are always eager for more. Besides, they are ridiculously talented!"

Whidden recounts how the twenty-two performance, technical, and administrative interns were selected from over two thousand auditions. "The program is very competitive," she adds, a statement Reeder confirms, saying "MSMT has such a wonderful reputation out there, that more and more people want to have the opportunity to come to work here."

The ever-glowing reputation of the company's artistic standards, the remarkable vision it displays, and the artistic growth it has enjoyed especially in recent years, has prompted the organization to embark on a Capital Campaign, the details of which Whidden shares with the audience. "We hope to provide funds for housing our actors, making energy efficient upgrades at our administrative/technical building, and replace all the seats and install a new infrared hearing loop at the Pickard Theatre. All these renovations are planned for the winter break in January of this year," she explains, and the thus far the campaign is going very well, indeed.

Her enthusiasm makes these goals sound remarkably simple, just as the cast and creative team of Young Frankenstein make their artistry seem effortless. Whidden, who has been with MSMT for over a decade says, "It still amazes me after all this time that in the course of twelve weeks, we produced ninety-six main stage shows, seven kids' performances, and two concerts."

And, as one audience member appreciatively comments, "You do make it all seem so easy. You guys are great!"

Photo Courtesy Maine State Music Theatre, Katie White, photographer

Young Frankenstein runs until Auguist 22, 2015, at the Pickard Theatre, Brunswick, ME 207-725-8769 www.msmt.org