Brooks Confirms 'Frankenstein' for Hilton, Casting

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 9:52am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=18675

"Brooks told interviewer Steve Friess, "It looks like (it will be) the Hilton Theater. It’s a beautiful theater where I saw Ragtime and 42nd Street. We just simply need a big place...It’s amazing that Young Frankenstein, with some hip references, is a very, very family-oriented show. So we’re very lucky to get a 42nd Street theater. There are literally millions of people in New York City, especially in the summer and they see the big monster up on the marquee and they say, I want to see that." Brooks also confirmed the previously rumored casting of Megan Mullally as Elizabeth, Roger Bart as Dr. Frankenstein and Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor. He says that he's "pretty sure" Andrea Martin will play the role of Frau Blucher."

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:01am

Most likely
Doesn't even refer to THE QUEEN
Just F***ing RUDE.

[Steve2]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:02am

I currently have tickets for The Pirate Queen for Sunday September 2nd (Labor Day Weekend). Assuming that this means that PQ is closing, I wonder how much time YF needs before previews start?
Updated On: 5/25/07 at 10:02 AM

[IssaMe]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:03am

Not rude - just arrogant, as usual.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:05am

This is only conjecture, but since Frank. is doing out of town runs, probably about three to four weeks before the proposed Halloween open.

This announcement is so unseemly of Brooks. Manners, manners!

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:10am

Does anyone else think he sounds like a Dumb*ss in that quote?

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:11am

Remember, dumb*ss sells.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:14am

I think they could have at least waited for The Pirate Queen to post a closing note. It was rude and distasteful.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:17am

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is going to be family-oriented? Does that mean that all the jokes about huge genitalia will be removed?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:20am

Why is Brooks not confirming Sutton Foster's casting?

[Popular]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:21am

I hope the PQ camp fire back some sort of comment. They have been bullied by him for way too long at this point. Even if it's true he needs to let PQ run it's course before making such announcements. Arrogant, rude, distastful, and all the other things you guys have already said, indeed!

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:25am

Popular - PQ would be well advised to maintain a polite silence, just because they would have to comment on the truth of his remarks. Remember the rule - commenting on slander is republishing the harm.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:27am

It is pretty obvious that THE PIRATE QUEEN doesn't have much life left on it and we all saw this coming from miles away but this indeed was a very crass, distasteful, rude, arrogant thing to do. Then again, I am pretty sure he did it on purpose to create some buzz, get people talking about him and his show, and ultimately sell more tickets.
Apparently, according to Riedel, some cast members have yet to sign since the producers have failed to meet their demands. That's why people like Foster have yet to be officially announced.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:28am

Well, I for one am exited for this. The Pirate Queen should die a painful death. It's awful and it is quite shocking that it has run this long! So what if Mel Brooks is arrogant? What are you gonna do? I'm exited and I wish him luck.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:30am

I hope Young Frankie is as big a hit as THE PRODUCERS movie.
I know we will get a lot of
"hey it's a business"
but it's still Rude.
And I doubt the IRISH will take it lying down.

[Dirty_Rotten_Guy]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:30am

wow, this SUCKS!

poor PIRATE QUEEN

grr this makes me mad...

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:32am

While I somewhat saw this coming, I agree it was very rude of him to do this.

[winston89]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:33am

That quote really pissed me off. First off, the polite thing to do when wantingg a theatre that is currently home to another show is to wait for them to announce a closing date. THEN you say your going into that theatre. I have said it before that I feel as if I am the few that are actually fans of Pirate Queen. I am sad to se it fail. But, I knew that it was going to happen as soon as the grinch said that it will call the St.James home this fall. A comic genus brooks may be but an Asshole he sure is.

[Justin D]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:33am

just wondering, if for some reason PQ takes off (who knows) how likely would it be if the producers decide to transfer it to another theatre?

I know it gets bashed all the time, but i would hope it is still playing when i am up there in September cause i'd still like to see it for myself.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:36am

I don't think it's rude at all.

If the YF press release came out this afternoon saying "Young Frankenstein to open at Hilton Theater, Bart, Mulally to Star" how would you react? Would that be rude? Who is it rude to? The cast of Pirate Queen? They're still getting paid. The creators of Pirate Queen? The critics did that.

Brooks is just plugging his show. You wouldn't do the same?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:42am

Not like that.
NOPE

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:42am

Actually Yankee, I have to disagree. The mention of the the Hilton theatre as the likely location for the show is essentially a statement saying "Well we all have so little faith in the Pirate Queen that we're sure it's going to fail and close by the end of the summer, so come see our show in November!" It is pretty rude in my opinion, but here's what I understand even less. This won't ever happen, but what if the Pirate Queen sales took off tomorrow and started selling decently well every week through the summer. If they don't fall below the agreed gross level from the theatre contract, the theatre can't boot them. The only way this show is going to close is if the theatre boots them, cause lord knows the producers won't close it on their own or go down without a fight. So if the sales were to sky rocket (which again I am saying won't likely happen), YF would stuck without a theatre and then just look like a bunch of fools. So why in god's name are they publicizing now before Pirate Queen has posted a closing notice? Just some thoughts.

[winston89]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:44am

Yankeefan, I would do the same in terms of pluggin my show. But, I would do it with a little bit of class as oppose to how brooks is doing it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:45am

How is it rude?

They didn't "steal" the theatre away for Young Frankenstein. It was available for them to them to move in.

Easy to do the math.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/25/07 at 10:46am

His blatant non-mention of Pirate Queen proves how he's not out for blood.

If he would have said, "well, the show that's playing there now isn't doing so well, so we're going in when they close up...," I would agree with you.