Young Frankenstein (quick unofficial review in Seattle)

[antz]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 2:40pm

It's Alive! ... and with a few tweaks, should be comercially successful when it hits the Hilton in October.
To avoid spoilers utnil later in this review, I'll start with the cast...

The cast was brilliant! Given the task of taking on such iconic roles, they surpassed my expectations and then some.
Roger Bart: Clearly the star of the show and what a performance he turns in. Tony nominatin for sure (possibly strong enough performance to say he'll win it without knowing what he's up against)He works hard and makes it look effortless.
Megan Mullally: She's perfect for this role. I don't know if her number late in act one was really necessary other than to give her another song (she really stands out in act 2). The song 'Alone' doesn't quite work like the diva number in Spamalot. Her two big numbers in Act 2 'Surprise' and 'Deep Love' were spot on and solidify her Tony nomination as well (supporting or featured actress, I think).
Sutton Foster: I think she'll be going head to head with Meagan for that Tony. She was my favorite female performer of the cast. They don't need to change a thing!
Andrea Martin: You've gotta love her. She's great and will also possibly be vying for that trophy. Considering it seemed that 90% of the audience already knew the jokes coming, she delivered each one as if they were brand new.
Christopher Fitzgerald: A most brilliant Igor! I don't know why he get's billed below Shuler Hensley other than the fact that the monster is the title character.
Fred Applegate: Much better as the Hermit than the inspector, but could use a little bit of vork.
Shuler Hensley: good monster

Spoilers ahead (maybe).

If audience reactions and excitement are any indication, then this show could possibly be a huge hit. The crowd cheered and applauded for EVERYTHING!!! Even the projection on the scrim at the beginning of the show. And they were laughing HARD at all the jokes. Often laughing before the joke because they remembered it from the movie.

The show is three hours long (and the intermission was incredibly short (10 minutes). At that point...why bother having an intermission! It's mostly this long because they leave almost nothing out from the movie and then add all the songs and production numbers. Here are some things they can cut in Act 1 to tighten it up a bit:
"Join the family business" - no need to make such a production out of that dream sequence. I think one can find about 5 minutes worth of that scene to cut.
"Alone" As much as I love Megan Mullally, that number was a little too long. I know it reminds the audience about her character, but perhaps cut it down to one verse and off she goes.
The Lab Scene was a little long and could be tightened up a bit too. Act 2 was almost flawless.

The choreography is also magnificent. Stroman still has her A-game.

The set is vunderful. Great perspective and angles. The laboratry is a grand and complex looking set piece with great special effects. Yet at times it's reigned in and its simplicity allows the cast to be the focus and spectacle ('Puttin on the Ritz'). Brilliant job.

Costumes are very good, but they are what they are, nothing over the top.

Sound design: This needs work. I couldn't hear the words in the chorus songs (and I had very good seats). It was clear it was due to the amplification system and not the cast. Hopefully they will have time to fix this.

Musical Score: Unfortunately, this was my least favorite part of the show. Considering it's done in a 30s style musical, none of the tunes were very memorable. Nor the lyrics that clever and witty. Of course there were moments of great surprise and wit. This is after all the great Mel Brooks writing, but it lacked some of the humor and spontenaeity of the lyrics in Spamalot, Avenue Q, Hairspray, or dare I say, The Producers. Many of the tunes seemed a little bit like rehashed broadway songs, yet were neither spoofs nor send-ups. Nonetheless, they were arranged perfectly and delivered well. No complaints there. The orchestrations in between numbers was great...like a film score...hmmm. The songs that stood out were 'Deep Love' executed perfectly by Megan and 'There is nothing like the Brain'

They nailed Puttin' on the Ritz. It starts small with just Frederick and the Creature then builds with the creature dancing to his own shadow (nice effect, but I won't say more). Then a dozen or so dancers all dressed like monsters join for a large tap/production ... it's Stroman at her best!

In the end, this is a great crowd pleaser and I think with some polish, it will sell a lot of tickets on Broadway. Will it have staying power like Phantom and Wicked? I doubt it, but like it's predecessor The Producers (which I seem to be one of the few people who thought it was just ok), it should have a very successful and long run and put smiles on a lot of people's faces.

My current top 10:
Spring Awakening
Wicked
Hairspray
Sweeney Todd
Spamalot
Avenue Q
Billy Elliot
Curtains
A Light in the Piazza
Kiss of the Spider Woman

[sondhead]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 2:45pm

OK and no one has talked about it--but don't you think Dracula has GOT to go? Stuuuuuuupid.

And ditto on the lyrics. After "There is Nothing Like a Brain" my hopes were high but it never really came back to that level.

[antz]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 3:05pm

Agreed...the dracula "count bassie" joke was very lame. That's another 30 seconds that can be shaved.

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 3:45pm

So how does the show end? Is there a big production number to top it off?

[antz]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 5:45pm

ending spoiler...

The show ends in the village square with Frederick being saved by the monster accepting his fate as a Frankenstein to carry on the family business. Frederick sings something short 'Frederick's Soliloquy'. The Monster and Elizabeth (now sporting a bride of Frankenstein hair do) declare their love for each other and the Monster sings a short one verse reprise of "Deep Love". (Elizabeth removes Frederick's ring and throws it away) There's a four line reprise off stage coming from the Hermit 'Please send me Someone' and Frau Blucher declares that she is going on a "blind date" with the hermit. Frederick asks Inga to marry him and she accepts ... the village fades away leaving a giant moon on a bare set. Frederick and Inga are left alone, stare into each other, walk upstage as the lights fade.

Given the big production numbers, this is a rather quiet ending...but it vorks.

The big numbers are:
The opening...The Happiest Town in Town
Please Don't Touch Me (although it could be bigger!)
Join the Family Business (too big and should be cut down)
Transylvania Mania (great way to end act 1)
Puttin' On the Ritz (Biggest number of the show and perfect!)

[Aqualline2]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 6:02pm

Are there any big-ish numbers from Sutton?
I figured she probably wouldn't be getting anything as show stopping as Gimme Gimme or Astonishing. but, what does she sing?

[sondhead]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 6:14pm

Sutton thankfully doesn't get anything too long

I thought the ending could use some work. The Frau going off to be with the blind man was especially awkward even though the joke they were trying to express was funny

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 6:32pm

Thanks for the review - pretty much what I expected. I have tickets for NYC the first preview weekend (coming in from SF to see it) - would have done Seattle but could not set it up.

And so you know you are not alone antz - I saw the Producers with Lane and Broderick and, although I liked it, thought it was just OK as well. The performances were great but the show on its own was not up to the hype.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 7:47pm

The fact that the score is the weakest element says a great deal about this whole enterprise, alas. What a stage adaptation of this film needs, first and foremost, is a wonderful, wonderful score. Wit, melody, size, brio. Or it's ROCK HORROR at midnight on a grand scale -- which apparently is part of the audience investment, i.e. know the jokes, tread water till they arrive, then take the roof off when they land. Okay, I get it; we're there to revel in the familiar. But a terrific bunch of songs would make the translation to the stage explanable in creative terms. Not that anyone needs this vote -- except Mel. You can rest assured that Mel wants the same imprimatur afforded the stage version of THE PRODUCERS.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 7:59pm

The score is very simple, with a few bright spots, but mostly forgettable and VERY verse chorus verse chorus. Highlights were "Please Don't Touch Me" for Mullally, "He Vas My Boyfriend (a tribute to Mein Heir) and the Act I Finale led by Foster who dances her tail off. Half the numbers need punching up, Bart doesn't have a single showstopper, and currently, it plays a lot like Spamalot. Movie jokes and tons of filler. It can be fixed, Stroman's work is top notch despite Brook's rather lackluster score. I'm seeing it again in 2 weeks, so I hope they've fixed the obvious flaws and Mel's famous ego doesn't prevent him from fixing the obvious.

[billygoatgirl300]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 8:05pm

Can anyone post a list of all the songs from the show and who sings them?

[Princeton78]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 8:25pm

There seems to be a split of people who really like this and people who really don't. Weren't The Producers' out of town reviews pretty unanimous raves?

[jennyish]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 8:49pm

I hate that they're adding material of questionable quality just to give Mullaly more stage time.

[Stagehand 15]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 8:57pm

I've seen Young Frankenstein twice now (two days apart). I was surprised that Dracula and the werewolf (in the bad Halloween mask) made a second appearance.

I spotted only one minor change in the show. There may have been more but I didn't spot them.

[antz]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 9:12pm

Here's the list of the songs and who sings them:

Act One
Frankenstein is Dead/The Happiest Town in Town - Villagers
There is Nothing Like the Brain - Frederick (Roger Bart), Students
Please Don't Touch Me - Elizabeth (Megan Mullally) and Voyagers
Together Again For The First Time - Frederick, Igor (Christopher Fitzgerald)
Roll In the Hay - Inga (Sutton Foster), Frederick, Igor
Join the Family Business - Victor (Jack Doyle), Frederick, Ancestors
He Vas My Boyfriend - Frau Blucher (Andrea Martin)
The Law - Kemp (Fred Applegate) and Villagers
Alone - Elizabeth
Life, Life - Frederick
Welcome to Transylvania - Transylvania Quartet (Ensemble)
Transylvania Mania - Igor, Frederick, Inga, Kemp and Villagers

Act Two
He's Loose - Kemp and Villagers
Listen to Your Heart - Inga
Surprise - Elizabeth, Igor, Frau Blucher, Sasha, Masha, Basha, Tasha and Bob (the last 5 characters are ensemble members playing Elizabeth's entourage)
Please Send me Someone - Hermit (Applegate)
Man About Town - Frederick
Puttin on the Ritz - Frederick, The Monster (Shuler Hensley), Inga, Igor, Frau Blucher, Ensemble
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life - Elizabeth
Deep Love - Elizabeth
Frederick's Soliloquy - Frederick
Deep Love (reprise) - The Monster
Finale Ultimo - The Company

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 8/9/07 at 9:24pm

Deep Love and Please Don't Touch Me are two great numbers for her. The random number in the 1st Act needs to get cut. Stops the action.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 12:21am

This is what I feared, a weak score, especially from Mel. He could afford the best songwriters, what a waste. At least it will look good. Yet how do you ask 450 bucks for rehashed music, no matter who sings it?

It doesn't make me want to pay for the best seats. Well, I will be looking forward to the New York reviews. I don't think I can go to Seattle right now but I really appreciate all the reviews, thanks.

[dented146]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 1:04am

I am thinking along the lines of Auggie. A weak score is not good news either from the stand point of reviews or word of mouth. But great silliness can get you pretty far these days. It sounds like the opening reviews could be very interesting.

[Fabrizio2]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 1:26am

Can anyone let me in on the reason why in an out of town preview (such as The Little Mermaid or Young Frankenstein) we do not have any sort of press release with production photos? Maybe I'm just impatient, but one would think (or at least I would think) that it would boost press and ticket sales...hype up the future viewers in NY? Maybe I'm just stupid.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/10/07 at 1:27am

Production photos come out later.