[NEohioPAL] Review of "Young Frankenstein" at PlayhouseSquare

[Bob Abelman]

Ann Droid, not Abby Normal, is brains behind 'Young Frankenstein'

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

 

Like the monster referenced in its title, the musical Young Frankenstein is an awkward, oversized robotic recreation consisting of used pieces and ill-fitting parts.  

 

The stage production, currently on national tour and appearing at PlayhouseSquare until October 25, is nearly identical to the hilarious 1974 film created by borsht-belt humorist Mel Brooks.

 

The same vaudevillian running gags, in all the same places, have found their way back to live theatre.  The same sophomoric fascination with mammary glands remains intact.  The comedic caricatures of Dr. Frankenstein, his aid Igor, his lab assistant Inga, his fiancée Elizabeth, the monster, and Frau Blucher have all made the transition. 

 

While there is certainly comfort in familiarity, there is also little entertainment value.   It is hard to be amused when you can see everything coming a mile away, as you can in this production.  

 

Yet changes in something that has become as iconic as this film are a tough sell.    

 

Broadway glitz and special effects replace the film's low budget, black and white homage to old monster movies.  Though fun to watch, they suck the charm right out of the storytelling.  The addition of Mel Brooks' absolutely unmemorable music and lyrics does little to give to his creature life.  Huge, overblown production numbers coordinated by director and choreographer Susan Stroman appear out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, as if a guidebook to musical comedy recommended the insertion of a dance break here and a kick line there.  

 

The performers, many from the original Broadway production, are all very talented individuals who attempt to bring their own special something to their roles.  Unfortunately, these characters are so defined by their original film performers that minute differences read as inept portrayals and significant alterations come across as serious betrayals.

 

By walking that fine line between embracing Gene Wilder's characterization and infusing his own creativity and personality, Roger Bart as Frederick Frankenstein is fairly nondescript and inconsistent on stage.   During musical numbers where he is not featured, Bart's Frederick becomes nearly invisible.  Cory English, as Frederick's hunchback sidekick Igor, fares better but there is still the sense that something is missing in his portrayal.

 

Film aficionados are likely to be underwhelmed with this rendering, even with its elaborate production values.  Theatre-goers unfamiliar with the 1974 film will be overwhelmed by the glitz but not necessarily impressed.  

 

Like the monster itself, the musical Young Frankenstein is a lot of craft but not much art.  Audience members will find themselves gawking until the novelty wears off, which it does almost immediately.

 

 


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