[NEohioPAL] Review of Geauga Theater's "Frankenstein 1930"

[Bob Abelman]

It's alive, and funny, on the Geauga Theater stage

 

Bob Abelman

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

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 10/12/12

 

 

The miracle of life is being restored to what was once a gruesome, inanimate mass, and it is happening on stage in the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild production of "Frankenstein 1930."  

 

The thing is, the inanimate mass is not the Frankenstein monster; it's the woefully antiquated Frankenstein story.  And its newfound life force has taken the form of outrageousness courtesy of mad genius director Marc Moritz and his very able and game ensemble of actors.

 

Merging gothic drama with dark romance, Mary Shelley's 1818 novel about an unorthodox scientific experiment gone awry was revolutionary in its time.  Since then, the tragic tale of the monster and his maker has been resurrected ad nauseam and done to death.  Stage productions range from a 1826 adaptation by Henry Milner to the 2011 drama performed by London's National Theatre.  Numerous renditions for the silver screen have been created since the 1910 film by Thomas Edison Studios, including the recent "Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'" starring Kenneth Branagh and Robert De Niro.  

 

The story has been told in Richard O'Brien's musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Mel Brookes' broad comedy "Young Frankenstein," Tim Burton's animated "Frankenweenie," and presented as a 1940's film franchise that included "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein."  It has even inspired the strawberry-flavored breakfast cereal "Franken Berry" (not to be confused with the chocolate-flavored Count Chocula and its delicious tiny marshmallows). 

 

Fred Carmichael's "Frankenstein 1930" gets its inspiration from the 1930's black and white film that featured the "It's alive!!!!" originator Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as the definitive monster.  The play embraces both the film's broad melodrama and its corny cinematic flair by attempting to mimic them both.  It does so with a straight face and in absolute earnest.  

 

But not in this GLTG production.

 

Moritz, it seems, sees laughs in the script where none are intended and finds sight gags and sound effects gimmicks where none exist.  He has, in fact, dipped the script in a huge vat of silly and put it on display on the Geauga Theater stage. The result is a refreshing and very entertaining piece of utter nonsense.

 

The GLTG production's modus operandi is pure spoof, its motto is the broader the better, and every performer in this ensemble buys into this completely.  

 

This means that some, including the wonderful Shane Wohlken and Bridget Chebo as Dr. Frankenstein and his beloved Elizabeth, respectively, must bite their lips and play it straight in order to give rise to the shameless insanity that surrounds them. Those providing the outrageousness include the delightfully over-the-top Danny Bass as Gorco, Dr. Frankenstein's hunchbacked assistant; the hilarious Tina Burgett-Krause as Frederica, Elizabeth's Aunt; Mark Miloro as Henry, Dr. Frankenstein's old friend; and Marvin Mallory as the Creature.

 

As with most spoofs, some gags in this production test the limits of one's gag reflex.  Some of the folly falls flat and some running jokes grow tiresome over time.  Still, you can't fault this troupe for taking its best shot at an easy, slow moving target with reckless abandon.  These players are fearless, and include Katie Sweet, Kelly Tapager, Debbie Tapager, Winn Douglass, Katrina Melanie Walker, Serena Tamburrino, Andrew Kotlar, Paul Detling, and Stephen Waybright.

 

Adding to the festivities is the wonderful laboratory set designed by Connie Hecker, a stream of very funny sound effects by Josh Suhy, dramatic lighting by Brad Allen, and exaggerated silent movie make-up by Jen Ryan that manages to make everyone look like the living dead.

 

Nearly all the scary has been exorcised from this story by its brand of storytelling, leaving only a rollicking good time and an excess of camp. Just in time for Halloween.

 

"Frankenstein 1930" continues through October 21 at the Geauga Theater, 101 Water Street, Chardon.  For tickets, which range from $13 to $15, call 440-286-2255 or visit www.geuagatheater.org.
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