Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview)
Young Frankenstein (The SOB Preview) - The Paramount, Seattle, WA***1/2 (out of ****)
Is Young Frankenstein any good? That would be "The $450 Question."
Or perhaps more incisively, is it worth $450 per ticket? That, my friends depends entirely upon your point of view.
Personally, I could never bring myself to spend that kind of money on a theatre ticket as I think I've already made abundantly clear. But if all things are truly relative, I can tell you that I enjoyed this nearly Broadway-ready Young Frankenstein much, much more than Jersey Boys, where the top seats fetch a farfetched $351.50.
Over this past weekend, I flew to Seattle to take in the out-of-town tryout of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, and I can tell you it has monster hit written all over it. Yes, plenty of tinkering remains to be completed (can somebody please give a hand to sound designer Jonathan Deans -- the entire first couple tunes were so muffled that I could barely understand what was being sung), and yes, it currently runs about a half hour too long (vooof!), but overall, Brooks' latest film-cum-stage musical is funny, funny, funny.
And in answer to the original question, yes, it's pretty darned good, too.
Given that I saw the show only days into its first previews, what's remarkable is the nearly excellent shape in which Young Frankenstein already is for a show that will be further fine-tuned in the weeks ahead.
Credit Brooks and Thomas Meehan for embracing all of the signature lines and hysterical bits from the film and running with them. They're not only all here, but the rapt audience clearly anticipates each one, cheering enthusiastically as each is delivered with relish (now I finally know how all those Monty Python fans felt during Spamalot).
Yet, Brooks and Meehan expand on the story by offering up a more fully-realized Elizabeth thanks to a wickedly funny Megan Mullally, and Igor via an absolutely hilarious Christopher Fitzgerald -- Wicked's original Boq -- in an uproarious breakthrough performance that makes you all but forget Marty Feldman.
Fortunately, they're not alone. For my first-time ever, I finally saw Sutton Foster perform and got to see what the fuss is about; not only can she sing and dance with the best of them, she's a voluptuous laugh riot to boot as Inga. Her "Roll In The Hay" had me rolling in the aisle. As much as I hoped to see Cloris Leachman recreate the role of Frau Blucher, there's no better substitute than the pricelessly droll Andrea Martin, who delights with nodding approval from neighing horses; her "He Vas My Boyfriend" underscores her comedic versatility. And while a monster of few words, Shuler Hensley makes for about the most lovable bogeyman ever -- just ask Mullally, who sings down the house with her risible "Deep Love."
The toughest role certainly falls on former second-stringer and Tony-winner Roger Bart, who finally graduates to a leading role with plenty of comic pizzazz. While it takes a while for his Dr. Frederick Frankenstein to rise to the heights of Gene Wilder from the silver screen version, his winning madness and heart ultimately win the audience over.
Despite sprinklings of vampires and werewolves, surprisingly few of the tunes by Mel Brooks capture the lunacy of The Producers, but as noted above, this is still a work in progress. Although I still recall the strains of the aforementioned "Deep Love," along with "Together Again For The First Time" when Frederick and Igor forge their bond, if I were to guess which tunes would go away to speed along the narrative, I'd suggest the throwaway "Welcome To Transylvania" or the needless "Please Send Me Someone" by the one-scene Hermit.
Perhaps it's for these reasons that the real showstopping tune turns out not to be a newly written Brooks piece, but instead, Irving Berlin's borrowed "Puttin' On The Ritz." Like a Busby Berkeley extravaganza, this signature tune catapults Young Frankenstein to the highest heights of hilarity.
Thanks to the unique vision of director/choreographer Susan Stroman, these Transylvanian hills come alive, not only with the sound of music, but also with enchanting stagecraft. Robin Wagner has outdone himself with Frankenstein's laboratory alone, but when you add everything from a ocean-going ship to Frankenstein Castle's grand hall, add a dose of Marc Brickman's enchanting projection designs and throw in Peter Kaczorowski's brilliant lighting design, suddenly there's more magic than you can shake a beaker at. Then, of course, there's William Ivey Long's wide-ranging costume design that bridges New York chic with Transylvania geek.
I fully trust that the final product that bows on Broadway will be precision perfect, but this is as abby-normally terrific as you can get this early.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Seattle).
Click here for Young Frankenstein tickets (Broadway).
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That's Franken$$$$$TEIN! (June 29, 2007)
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
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Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
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It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
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That's FrankenSTEEN: Just In Time For Halloween (January 24, 2007)
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Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Andrea Martin, Broadway, Film, Megan Mullally, Mel Brooks, Musical, Roger Bart, Seattle, Shuler Hensley, Sutton Foster, The SOB Preview, The SOB Review, Young Frankenstein
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Monday, August 13, 2007
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