Review: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUSICAL at North Fork Community Theatre: It's alive!... in black and white!

Kicking off their 60th Season, The North Fork Community Theatre (NFCT) of Mattituck gets in the Halloween spirit with a very entertaining production of Mel Brooks' classic Young Frankenstein, The Musical. Directed by Long Island theatre vet Bob Kaplan, it is certain that you will thoroughly enjoy this hilarious show now playing through October 29th. This is indeed a special treat not only because it is the beloved show, but it is being done "in living black and white". In a nod to the 1974 movie incarnation starring Gene Wilder - the source the musical is based on - practically all of the visuals in this production are black and white.

Above everything, this show is a musical parody of the horror film genre. The tale, which has Thomas Meehan collaborating with Mr. Brooks on the book, follows Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, portrayed excellently by NFCT vet Michael Hipp, as he attempts to complete the work of his infamous grandfather, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, to bring a corpse back to life. Indeed, Mr. Hipp's renditions of "(There Is Nothing Like) The Brain" and "Man About Town" are well received by the enthusiastic audience.

Additionally, Mr. Hipp works well with Jenna Wolf who portrays Inga, Frederick's ditzy but well-meaning buxom blond assistant. Ms. Wolf brings roars of laughter with the song "Roll In The Hay" which she performs with Mr. Hipp and Matt Orr who portrays Igor, pronounced "eye gore", Frederick's trusty servant. Also a highlight is James Carey who hysterically portrays The Monster even receiving an extended round of applause after his performance of "Puttin' on the Ritz". And Nancy DiGirolamo and Laura Pearsall are also wonderful in their respective roles of Elizabeth, Frederick's diva fiancé, and Frau Blucher, the Frankenstein's housekeeper and former lover to the elder Frankenstein.

The entire large company is truly top notch.

As for Mr. Kaplan's superb creative team, Michele Messinger's set is well done for the intimate stage. Everything seems easily movable for mostly seamless scene transitions. This is cleverly enhanced by Dave Sheer's lighting design and Jan McGoey's fun and quirky choreography. And special kudos to Deanna Andes and Sonomi Obinata for the terrific Costume and Make-Up Design. Being that this production is in "living black and white", I'm sure an extraordinary amount of details had to be considered to pull off the whole look of the production.

And so Young Frankenstein, The Musical is certainly another hit for Long Island's North Fork Community Theatre. It's entertaining, has a great cast, and, frankly, it is a fun night of theatre.