Yesterday I went to see Young Frankenstein at the Buell and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. The story very closely follows the movie it's based on, so I'll save you the details of the plot. Let's get down to brass tacks.
I was surprised because I'd listened to the soundtrack several times and one theme kept resounding: sex. It seemed like every song was just an excuse for double innuendos as well as outright raunchiness. While I'm not a prude, I didn't want to see such an iconic movie get reduced to jokes about balls and tits. Turns out there was no reason for my concern. The film dealt with a lot of relationships and while the musical might deal with them a touch more explicitly, it's not over the top.
So it's the movie with any slowish parts taken out and replaced with songs and more jokes, nothing to complain about there. The music is so catchy it's stuck in your head for weeks. I didn't expect to see almost all of the locations that were in the movie, but there they all were. Most of the sets, with the exception of the laboratory, are minimal. It's just a screen with a picture or a cardboard door. It doesn't feel cheap or lame, instead it keeps you focused on the characters and what they're doing, which is a lot.
Out of the whole show, it only makes sense that Dr. Frankenstein is the star, and he truly is. Roger Bart steals the show and then runs away with it. He has no problem mugging for the audience, holding the pause to milk laughs or just general dicking with the other cast members. That's not to say the rest of the cast were just average, everyone performed to perfection, but it really felt like it was Bart's play and everyone else was acting in his one man show.
The highlight of the show for me, aside from the knockers joke, was the scene with Harold, the blind man. It starts off with an Al Jolson style song which just devolves into a blatant Jolson impression, and a damn fine one at that. And then, beat for beat they reenact the scene from the movie, from a lap full of hot soup to the promises of espresso. And while the man who played Inspector Kemp got a decent ovation at the curtain call, the audience really lit up when he revealed Harold's costume as he played both parts. It's definitely a show worth seeing if it gets anywhere near you. And do yourself a favor and DON'T watch the movie right before you go. Enjoy it on its own merits and you will not be disappointed.
