THEATER OPINION
Young Frankenstein: The Musical
Paramount Theater
Seattle, Washington
August 7, 2007
Music & Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Based on the film written by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder
Directed and Choreographed by Susan Strohman
STARRING: Roger Bart, Megan Mullally, Sutton Foster, Andrea Martin, Christopher Fitzgerald, Fred Applegate
Tonight, I attended the first preview of Mel Brooks' new musical, Young Frankenstein, where it is having a pre-Broadway run. The crowd was very excited when the lights dimmed and the brief overture played. They gamely applauded the entrance of each principal character, with Megan Mullally getting the biggest ovation because there were many Karen Walker fans in the audience. Here is my assessment of the work-in-progress.
DISCLAIMER: It goes without saying that nobody in the stage musical will make me -- or anyone -- forget about the pitch-perfect performances of the film actors. Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Kenneth Mars, Cloris Leachman and the great Madeline Kahn were, are, and will always be the definitive cast. The rest of my review examines the musical in and of itself.
WHAT WORKS?
1. ROGER BART (Frederick Frankenstein) is a funny, agile, and engaging lead. His opening number, "There Is Nothing Like the Brain," is a charming, verbal workout that nicely establishes Frankenstein's character. He was suitably manic when needed, and his crazed hair was just right.
2. CHRISTOPHER FITZGERALD (Igor) is brilliant, turning Igor into a spritely song-and-dance man. His physical movement is a joy to watch. Of all the actors, his performance comes the closest to matching the original.
3. SUTTON FOSTER (Inga) is terrific when she is singing her two numbers, especially her first, "Roll in the Hay." Otherwise, see below.
4. ANDREA MARTIN (Frau Blucher) and the Blucher character benefit the most from expanded stage time, including a funny little number, "He Was My Boyfriend." She has a couple of lines that made me laugh out loud.
5. FRED APPLEGATE (Inspector Kemp / The Hermit) is far more memorable as The Hermit (the Gene Hackman cameo) than as the inspector, and his song "Please Send Me Someone" is one of the comedic highlights. See below for his problems as the inspector.
6. "PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ." Thank God Mel Brooks decided to use Irving Berlin's classic rather than compose an original piece for the Monster's public debut. The Monster's singing voice, parroted from the film, still gets a huge laugh.
7. WILLIAM IVEY LONG's villager costumes are remarkably detailed and beautiful, much more than what the principals wear.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE TWEAKED?
1. The DRAMATIC STRUCTURE of the story pretty much follows the film's plot, at least until the end, with the musical numbers expanding certain moments. The dramatic highlight of the Act I is Frankenstein's ascension into the lightning storm, and it is staged very well ... until the platform stops two-thirds of the way up. Unfortunately, there remains about twenty minutes remaining in Act I after this moment.
2. MEGAN MULLALLY (Elizabeth) is hilarious in her first appearance, "Please Don't Touch Me." It is clear that the writers have crafted the role as a direct appeal for the Best Featured Actress in a Musical category. Mullally's voice is strong, even if it lacks the real power of a true belter. (See Sutton Foster.) Her second act work is weaker, but I'll get into that later. The crowd adored Mullally.
3. The character of ELIZABETH is forced into the story a bit more than in the film, and her second act appearances are too forced. Furthermore, her voice alternates from high-pitched to low and sultry, to Eastern Brahmin to Southern. She needs clarity.
4. Not all FILM HIGHLIGHTS have to be included in the stage musical, especially memorable lines of dialogue. So many funny bits were telegraphed to the audience because we knew what was coming from the film, e.g. the bookcase, the Transylvania Station, and "No, walk this way." There were definitely moments that were forced, fell flat, or just killed momentum. As Eugene O'Neill advised writers, Mel needs to "kill some of his darlings" for the sake of the story.
5. The INSPECTOR is remarkably unfunny. A big reason may be the absence of his dart-throwing scene with Frankenstein, which always makes me laugh. But his fake right hand is more of an after-thought.
6. The DANCE NUMBERS all resemble each other. Though Strohman is a choreographer first and foremost, not all dance numbers require the entire cast to come out in wacky costumes. There were times when I just wanted to see the principals dancing, particularly in the the big "Puttin' on the Ritz" number.
7. The DREAM SEQUENCE ("Family Business") is a nice addition, but it requires more of a set-up by Frankenstein's grandfather, VICTOR. (See my Minor Complaint below.) And all the Frankenstein ancestors should be distinct rather than the same. If they represent centuries of Frankensteins, why are they all wearing the same lab coat? Let Long go nuts on scientist costumes over the years. Make them real ghosts communicating with Frederick, and give them each a distinct character. How about if each Frankenstein had a short, distinct, solo dance?
8. The CLIMAX of the story is not earned. It ties up very neatly but uninterestingly. Basically, it involves a lot of people standing around and watching. Plus, the writers clearly want Frankenstein's embrace of his destiny (and traditional pronunciation of his name) -- "I am a Frankenstein!" -- at the gallows to be the emotional high point. The problem is, he embraced his destiny ninety minutes earlier.
9. SHULER HENSLEY does not an imposing monster make, but he charms in his dance routine. (I do think it was a mistake to make the shadow his own person.) With some more creativity, the audience can, and should, truly sympathize with the Monster, but Mel does nothing new with the Monster than he did in the film.
10. CHEMISTRY between characters, particularly Frankenstein and Inga. The only way we know that they love each other is because we are told they do. Elizabeth and the Monster have some chemistry in their nice number, but there is room to grow there too. The best chemistry is probably between Frankenstein and Igor.
11. Exploit SUTTON FOSTER and her talents more. Her yodeling is great in "A Roll in the Hay," but nothing is really asked of her otherwise beyond smiling and occasionally dancing, but her dancing isn't even featured. And the accent goes in and out, dear.
Hmm ... What would happen if Foster and Mullally switched roles? This won't happen, but I believe both performers would benefit from playing against type.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE CUT?
1. About TWENTY MINUTES FROM ACT I, particularly everything after Frankenstein's ascent into the storm.
2. The VILLAGE IDIOT character, who was too similar to Igor in stature and presence ... except not nearly as funny. His best line is his suggestion for what the town really needs, but it is recycled, and it would be funnier if Igor said it.
3. Elizabeth's ARBITRARY PHONE CALL when Frankenstein is about to re-animate the monster. It was like the Lady of the Lake's random appearances in Spamalot, and only served to remind the audience that the producers are going to push this actress for a Tony nomination.
4. REPRISES, such as "Together Again for the First Time," and "He Was My Boyfriend." They rarely worked in the 40s and 50s, and never work now. They command the audience to appreciate these actors that are putting on this show that you are now watching. Aren't they doing a good job? Give them another hand, folks. This is a show you're watching, in case you forgot.
MINOR COMPLAINTS
1. Mel Brooks was there; an usher whisked him in and out of his seat after the lights went down and just before they came up. With this being the first time a live audience had seen the show, I would have liked him to join the cast on stage and at least wave to us guinea pigs.
2. Andrea Martin needs to sharpen her "slow burn." The lines lose their punch when she physically announces that they're coming.
3. Jack Doyle, the actor playing VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN (Frederick's grandfather and Blucher's boyfriend) has one of those high, reedy tenor voices that mysteriously dominate Broadway stages these days. He lacks the gravitas of someone reviled by the villagers, and there seems to be no connection, physically or musically, between that Victor and the one that Blucher sings about later in "He Was My Boyfriend."
In summary, I laughed often in Act I, considerably less so in Act II. I sense the audience's enthusiasm waning when mine did, after Frankenstein re-animates the Monster. Still, we all gave the production a standing ovation. They are clearly working hard, and will continue to do so.
Much of the humor comes directly from the film, with only a few new elements that are as interesting. It is not as funny as The Producers musical, but I find that it shares many of the same problems. In both shows, the climax happens about three-fourths of the way through the story. In the end, Young Frankenstein suffers from many of the same problems as other movies-to-stage adaptations: not everything that works on film works on stage. To truly make a strong adaptation, they need to start from scratch: vivid characters, compelling conflict, and strong action. My feeling is that Brooks and Meehan started with the film script and said, "Okay, what do we need to adjust?" That is the wrong approach, especially when the film is nearly perfect to begin with.
OVERALL GRADE: C+
