YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Reviews — Page 5

Songanddance, you're right...I think Brantley even called it "an event." For me, I think it's the charm of the actors that carries the show.

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where are those premium seats? in the actors dressing rooms lol

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Updated On: 11/8/07 at 10:44 PM

Are all the other seats normal broadway prices or are they higher to?

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Glad you had fun at the show

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Newsday is Mixed:

"Is the show - you know the question - funny? Sometimes. But the sweat of competence drives too much of the vintage Brooks humor this time, and the staging by ace director-choreographer Susan Stroman seems more formula than invention. They clobber us with greatest-hits punchlines and repeat the jokes in each musical stanza until we can't always remember why we first loved them. At times, the mugging is so aggressive we feel bruised.....

....Stroman doesn't get to use her dancing chorus much and, when she does, the routines tend to stop the action and feel like filler. So much effort went into finding the look of old Universal horror movies that Robin Wagner's sets - except for the strobe-electrified laboratory - look too much like painted cardboard.

The best of Brooks' score is jaunty pastiche and parody - Cole Porter, Gilbert and Sullivan and, for the still blissfully funny Monster mash, Irving Berlin's "Puttin On the Ritz." But unlike the lyrics from "The Producers," which had an onslaught of throw-away witticisms, many songs are dependent just on those famous jokes. William Ivey Long's costumes have great fun with 1934/Slavic-peasant looks and platform monster boots. Alas, something's wrong in Transylvania when the only thing in stitches is the creature's face."

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/stage/ny-etledew5451200nov09,0,2471035.story

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I have absolutely nothing to say about "Young Frankenstein" because I haven't seen it yet and I try not to be too influenced by critics. I'll only mention that when I heard Mel was looking to do another musical (post Producers) there was lots of talk about this film and Blazing Saddles as the source. I just couldn't imagine either films as working on the stage and I really hoped he'd look elsewhere. I still think the one Mel Brooks film that could be used as a BASE for a musical and be hilarious with some new material added was .... High Anxiety. I start laughing just thinking about some of those character breaking into song and dance.

I sincerely hope he rethinks his next Broadway production.

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Visually the show looks great. I am a fan of the movie and have seen it several times. I really don't have a great desire to see the stage show. Maybe sometime in the future, but it is not high on my list.

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neddy, from what I gather it's during the curtain call (kinda like what they did with the "Goodbye" song for THE PRODUCERS). Apparently, one of the lyrics is: "...Maybe next year Blazing Saddles!" That's it.

neddy, in the curtain call song, which is a play-off of "Together Again For the First Time", they sing something along the lines of "Like ping pong and paddles, maybe next year, Blazing Saddles?". Not exactly what it is, but thats a general idea.

as for the reviews, all of them pretty much seem to say the same thing, and are pretty mixed as i expected. not great for the show, but shouldnt hurt it much at all, in the long run it could though. or not as much the reviews, but the word of mouth could hurt it in the long run. it should still run a few years though.

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Do you think the internet has allowed more tourist theatregoers to read reviews before they buy tickets or are planning a trip to NYC?
I think WICKED survived and thrived becaue it has great "word of mouth", and it's a better show. let's see if it can happen again.

Updated On: 11/9/07 at 11:48 PM

Mostly pans and mixed?
I'm so excited!
Somewhere in heaven, Kathleen Freeman is smiling, and somewhere in NY, David Yasbeck is buying himself a beer.
I won't get started on the Pirate Queen cast/crew's celebrations that must be going on tonight.
Yippie! This is making my night.

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hey i want to make my own review of young frankenstein.
so what is the policy of the lottery for the matinee performance for saturday? anyone? is it crowded by any chance?

I had a wonderful time at the show. We got great seats two hours before curtain and at regular price.

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