BWW Reviews: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Arrives in Paris!

When France bring Big Musicals it's, most of the time, Stage Entertainment who does the work. Putting millions of euros into the production and briging big hit directly from Broadway, like it was the case for The Lion King or Mamma Mia. Taking directly the set, costumes and direction from Broadway. This time it's LV show, known for Hairspray and Fame, who brings us the expensive and gigantic musical: Young Frankenstein! (Frankenstein Junior in French)

The first thing that can scare a lot of this movie fans is how to turn it into a musical? Well, in fact Mel Brooks succeed brilliantly to turn is black and white movie, into a smash, colorful musical, with an amazing cast and wonderful songs. Of course, I'm speaking about the Broadway production, who opened on The Hilton Theater (now Foxwoods theatre, home of the infamous "Spiderman" Musical) in  October 2007 to close in January 2009. This was a multi-millions dollar musical, with big special effects, especially for the song "Life, Life" in which Doctor Frankenstein Jr. create the monster, and big scenery. And without forgetting a big orchestra, that bring those amazing Mel Brook's songs to life. In France, as you can imagine, the multi-million dollar musical turned into a thousands dollar musical. So this production star with a big handicap that can easily be override with a great director, but who wasn't at all override due to, I make you guess, an unbelievably bad, and awful direction. The big special effects are closer from a Christmas tree than anything, and the big scenery becomes "papier-mâché". The sceneries are, let face it, cheap. That's not necessarily a bad point, if the director is inventive; unfortunately, there it was a big bad point! It's totally understandable to not have a gigantic set with a big staircase but, if you didn't got the proper set don't try to make it big! Make jokes about the fact that you didn't have the enormous laboratory set, for example when doctor Frankenstein enter in the laboratory for the first time, don't make I'm said « It's messy! » (Only two stools are knock over the floor to make the impression it's messy...) make I'm said « That's All? » or another joke proving, first that you, as a director got a great sense of humor, and that you totally assume the fact that you didn't have a multi-million dollar budget! Happening to a point, I've got the feeling that an actor will stop playing and said « We didn't have the gigantic set, but imagine it's really big! ». If I have to imagine the all thing, I prefer did it myself while listening the cast recording. The worst of all is the fact that the laboratory is basically the only set. For the rest of the time, actors play in front of a black curtain, whit projections of the moon or trees on it, and in front of a fake door that doesn't open! The actor entering on the side to make the impression that the door open! In fact the direction wasn't inventive or neither funny nor relevant, killing most of the jokes with bad acting directions for example. Ad to that an awful direction, that makes you sick as well as the actors who obviously are not very comfortable with it. The direction is static and boring, no life, no fun, nothing!  You just realize that the director did'nt get any of the jokes, and didn't now the meaning of the word FUN. The choreography are not better than the direction. Okay, the stage is small, but that's not a reason to make people dance static never having anyone jumping or doing arabesque or other. The dance are more than static when we arrived to a 'solo' song ("He was my boyfriend", "Together Again"...) The two big dance numbers "Transylvania Mania" and most important "Puttin' on the Ritz" didn't work. The first look like the Prom Night's dance floor and the second was messy and dancers were not in rythm, due I assume to a lack of rehearsals.

But enough with the bad points, even if I can go on and on. Good points can be found in that production. First of all: The orchestra. Even if they've got fewer instruments than in the Broadway Production, the orchestra does what hell of a job, bringing the energy and the fun that was messing during the "acting scenes". Thanks to those guys, you also realize the power of Mel Brooks' music. Even in the worst, the music still good, making you dance on you're seat and waking you up. The biggest good point of all is the female leading cast. The actresses in that production are just amazing! Frau Blucher (played by Valérie Zaccome) is just splendid,extraordinary, fascinating, and I can go on for hours! Making you laugh till death! Shebring the F in Fun with her song "He vas my boyfriend", almost making you forget the lousy choreography, if there are one, and the horrible translation. Valérie Zaccome as Inga is full of energy, funny and sexy and as for Gaëlle Pineiro she gives us a saucy and outrageously funny Elizabeth. The male cast, unfortunately, only got one good actor. The Leading Role, Frederic Frankenstein, played by Vincent Héden. Funny, crazy, it gives a thousand percents into the role and totally appropriates the part. As for Igor (Zacharie Saal) I prefer not to talk about him.

  So even if the show is lacking everything that makes it good on Broadway (scène of humor in the direction, big sceneries, big special effects, big orchestra, big everything!) you have to see this show, if not only to discover the amazing music, also th discover the talented cast who put the musical into another level of comedy and didn't make you regrets your evening, put you can still regrets ticket's cost and the Staging...

Young Frankenstein (Frankenstein Junior) Theatre Dejazet Opening October 14th 2011.

For mor informations and reservations: http://www.dejazet.com

Photo Credit: Lv Show