Musical Theatre West Opens 61st Season with Mel Brooks' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Now thru 11/17

Musical Theatre West at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA opens its 61st season with Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, a musical comedy from the creative team of the 12-time Tony Award winning smash hit The Producers. The production, with music and lyrics by Brooks and a book by Thomas Meehan, marks the regional theater premiere of this hilariously tuneful show based on the 1974 smash hit film Young Frankenstein which was a wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic from the comic genius of Mel Brooks.

Having first debuted on Broadway in November of 2007, MTW's Young Frankenstein is scheduled to be presented today, November 1 - 17, 2013 for 13 performances. Saturday, November 2nd has been designated as the show's official opening night. Young Frankenstein is scientifically-proven, monstrously good entertainment...and the only place you'll witness a singing and dancing laboratory experiment in the largest tuxedo ever made!

THE CAST

Zachary Ford stars as "Dr. Frederick Frankenstein" with Danny Blaylock as "The Monster", Ben Liebert as "Igor," Andi Davis as "Inga," Rebecca Johnson as "Elizabeth," Tracy Lore as "Frau Blücher," and Jeffrey Rockwell as "Inspector Kemp". John Racca is featured as "Victor," Jeffrey Landman as "Ziggy," and David Miller as "Herald". Ensemble members include Jessica Buda, Ryan Chlanda, Quintan Craig, Michael Deeb, Jessica Ernest, Marisa Field, Annie Hinskton, Donna Louden, Daniel Smith, Alishia Suitor, and Katy Tabb.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

MTW Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman has appointed Lauren Kadel as Director and Choreographer who will recreate the original Direction and Choreography of Susan Stroman. Corey B. Hirsch serves as Musical Director with Mary Ritenhour as Production Manager.

THE STORY

Young Dr. Frankenstein (that's Fronkensteen) attempts to complete his grandfather's masterwork and bring a corpse to life. Together with his oddly shaped and endearing helper Igor (that's Eye-gor), his curvaceous lab assistant Inga, and in spite of his incredibly self-involved madcap fiancée Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster -- but not without scary and quite often hilarious complications.

THE MUSIC

Unfolding in the forbidding Castle Frankenstein and the foggy moors of Transylvania Heights, the show's raucous score includes "The Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and an unforgettable treatment of Irving Berlin's "Putting On the Ritz."

THE FILM

Released in 1974 to unanimous critical acclaim, the film received two Academy Award nominations, including one for Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder's script, also nominated for a Writer's Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Young Frankenstein was also the recipient of the two highest honors accorded films of science fiction: winning The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and The Nebula Award, given by The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, for Best Dramatic Writing. Since its release, the film has become part of the national consciousness: in 2000, it was selected as #13 on AFI's 100 Funniest American Movies of All Time and in 2003, Young Frankenstein was chosen for preservation in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

TICKETS AND LOCATION

Tickets for Young Frankenstein may be purchased online at www.musical.org (additional fees apply) or by phone at (562) 856-1999, Ext. 4. Prices begin at $20. A $3.00 service charge will be added to each ticket. Group rates are available for 12 or more. Tickets may also be purchased at the Musical Theatre West Box Office located at 4350 East 7th Street, Long Beach, CA 90804. Box Office hours are 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday with Saturdays added October 18 to November 23. All performances are at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center which Fis located at 6200 East Atherton Street, Long Beach, CA 90815. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

SPONSORSHIPS

Young Frankenstein is the first production of Musical Theatre West's 61st season and made possible through the generous contributions of Associate Producers Kathryn Baker Campbell, Mari Hooper, and K.C. Wilson; Show Sponsors: Larry & Shari Nemirow and Myron Bloom; and Honorary Producers for Musical Theatre West's 2013 - 2014 Season: Ken & Dottie Reiner, and the Ackerman Family/Evalyn M. Bauer Foundation.

ABOUT MUSICAL Theatre West

Now in its 61st anniversary season, Musical Theatre West is Southern California's premier musical theatre company. Under the leadership of Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman, the company has garnered numerous awards and accolades for its work presenting the entire spectrum of musical theatre (including 89 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominations over the past 12 seasons with a 2012 Best Musical win for Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits, Volume II,) and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Association Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theatre. For further information about Musical Theatre West, visit www.musical.org.