Although Young Frankenstein is based on a great movie and has the same award-winning team that brought us The Producers, the show is not that good. I think that the overall problem with the show is that, unlike The Producers which by its very nature is a love letter to Broadway and lends itself to stage, Young Frankenstein is a tribute to the horror movie. And it just doesn’t translate into a musical.
The plot holds fairly true to the film. Frederick Frankenstein, a brilliant doctor, inherits his grandfather’s castle in far off Transylvania. He leaves behind his socialite fiancée, Elizabeth, to wrap up the estate and gets mixed in with the family business of building monsters. To build more dramatic suspense (and a chorus), the stage version include a larger role for the villagers. Headed by Fred Applegate as Inspector Kemp, the villagers are tired of being scared by the Frankensteins. They plan to get rid of Frederick and thus end the family line. Fleshing the plot out to add songs, does not help.
In fact, I have to say that for the most part the music is forgettable. Written by Mel Brooks, a few of the songs were fun, in particular Frau Blucher’s “He Vas My Boyfriend” and Elizabeth’s “Please Don’t Touch Me.” A couple of large numbers were created such as a dream sequence in which Frankenstein’s relatives come to convince him to join the family business. And “Puttin’ on the Ritz” is a full fledged routine. It’s still not enough to help the evening.
I realize that this must have been a very tough show to write. As each bit approached, like the swinging bookcase or the blind hermit, the audience would be silent in anticipation of the classic moment. There in lies the trouble. The audience knows what will be funny. How do you build on that? Clearly it can be done. Spamalot, whose audience often mouths the words, clearly demonstrates this. But Young Frankenstein doesn’t build anyplace. Nor do the songs help to heighten the moment.
In fact, I have to say that for the most part the music is forgettable. Written by Mel Brooks, a few of the songs were fun, in particular Frau Blucher’s “He Vas My Boyfriend” and Elizabeth’s “Please Don’t Touch Me.” A couple of large numbers were created such as a dream sequence in which Frankenstein’s relatives come to convince him to join the family business. And “Puttin’ on the Ritz” is a full fledged routine. It’s still not enough to help the evening.
I realize that this must have been a very tough show to write. As each bit approached, like the swinging bookcase or the blind hermit, the audience would be silent in anticipation of the classic moment. There in lies the trouble. The audience knows what will be funny. How do you build on that? Clearly it can be done. Spamalot, whose audience often mouths the words, clearly demonstrates this. But Young Frankenstein doesn’t build anyplace. Nor do the songs help to heighten the moment.
Shuler Hensley and Roger Bart
Photo Credit: © Paul Kolnik
In this dull evening, there were some shining moments. Andrea Martina’s Frau Blucher was outstanding. And somehow she managed to create a Frau Blucher that was not Cloris Leachman, but memorable in her own way. Christopher Fitgerald’s Igor was just as brilliant. He had a delightfully comical face and a marvelous physical dexterity needed for Igor which ranged from the extremely clumsy to very graceful.
Shuler Hensley as The Monster and Sutton Foster as Inga were both good as always, but underused. Mr. Hensley does get to show off his singing and dancing in “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, but that let’s face it, there is no monster until the second act or so anyway. Nor is Inga a particularly inspiring role. I’m not sure the chorus girls didn’t have more stage time.
The biggest let-down was Roger Bart. I thought he was out of his depth. Frankenstein is the straight man for all the looney activities around him. The cleaverness in the movie was Gene Wilder's ability to look calm and secure while showing the anxious persona underneath with a look or a clenched jaw. On stage, I know this has to be bigger, but Mr. Bart's character was strange from the beginning. Therefore when he shifted to his manical personality, I found him grating rather than amusing.
As expected, the production values were tremendous. The sets, lighting, and costumes were all outstanding. The special effects were superb. And the horses during "Roll in the Hay"(for you can't have Young Frankenstein without horses to respond to Frau Blucher) were a great use of puppetry. It's the show itself that got in the way of a great evening. In the end, I have to say Young Frankenstein is less Mel Brooks and more Max Bialystock