February 17, 2008
Young Frankenstein: The Musical
Since moving to New York it’s become a tradition for the lady and me to go see a Broadway show on Valentine’s Day. Last year was the fantastic Spring Awakening, which we ended up seeing twice.
This year I got tickets for us to go see Young Frankenstein: The Musical. Hilarity ensued.
Musically it wasn’t terribly memorable; none of the songs stuck in my head after leaving the theater. What I did remember was the jokes, which is really what Mel Brooks is known for.
The music was very well done, don’t get me wrong. Just not memorable.
I’ve seen the movie countless times, but seeing a live performance complete with pit orchestra made me see it anew.
Brooks is at his best when he’s being irreverent, pushing the boundaries of acceptability in social commentary. There’s plenty of that here.
The foil to the social commentary is the sophomoric humor, also present in spades. The lady disagrees, but I enjoy humor that tells you where the line is, then proceeds to tapdance across it with a knowing wink. And if you didn’t catch on to the fact that you’ve been had, the joke is repeated and repeated some more, getting funnier each time.
The sets were outstanding, as were the stage performances. Rogert Bart (Dr. Frederick Frankenstein) was a complete surprise to me. I only knew him as the pharmacist from Desperate Housewives, but his resume is actually impressive.
Megan Mullally (Elizabeth), popularly known as the neighbor on Will & Grace, was a total delight. Andrea Martin (Frau Blucher) formerly of SCTV was also outstanding.
The show-stealer for me was Christopher Fitzgerald (Igor). Brooks clearly gave this character and actor room when interpreting the story for the stage, and Fitzgerald made the most of it.
If you live in NYC, you should definitely make a point of attending this show. For the rest of you, you’ll just have to hope this show tours. It’s certainly worth your bread.
Demerits for the accompanying website for unnecessary use of a splash page and gratuitous and annoying opening of a new, maximized browser window to get past it. Boo hiss.
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