Young Frankenstein - 10/22

[Insider2]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 3:40pm

Saw the show on Monday night - first row balcony (A). Had binoculars. Was perfectly fine for $75.00, I think. Acoustics were perfect. Heard every word.

I'm afraid that aside from some rather valliant performances, those are the only positive comments I have to say about this production.

Roger Bart was out, of course, but I cannot imagine that he did much more with a role that doesn't seem to have much to do in the first place.

The songs are all instantly forgettable. The jokes are tired. The script seems to have been written with a meat axe. Stroman must have been distracted with other projects as she worked on this, because her work is a great disappointment as compared to her prior stellar work.

Performances: Mullaly does what she can with an underwritten role. Bart's understudy...er.....remembered his lines and blocking. Several times when looking at the stage with high-powered binoculars, Sutton Foster looked absolutely bored out of her mind. Hensley, Martin, and Fitzgerald are all fine, although Fitzgerald hams it up to an almost intolerable degree.

Big problem is script, music, lyrics, and direction. I'm sorry for the people who paid $450 or more for this, as it is a really schlocky night in the theatre.

Hopefully they can improve by opening, but I don't suppose it matters, since I understand the advance is already so huge that this will play for years.
Updated On: 10/25/07 at 03:40 PM

[pab]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 5:57pm

I was there Monday night as well and felt the same way about the show. I don't see this production getting much better before they open with or without Trevor Nunn's help.

Updated On: 10/25/07 at 05:57 PM

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 6:26pm

agreed! the show is lame...

[Popular]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 6:27pm

So many things I want to say right now. So many things.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 6:36pm

I loved YF and hated Xanadu...guess I don't agree with the masses

[Neverandy]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 6:42pm

I never expected this show to be so gossip worthy. Trevor Nunn in to fix it. Bart out and rumors swirling that they are going to use Eddie Izzard or Steven Weber (although Weber is the favorite right now)
I bet they wish that the strike would affecr the Hilton!

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 6:53pm

can someone tell me more about the trevor nunn thing? or is there a link?

[pab]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 6:56pm

In another thread on YF Margo wrote the following:

"Aside from his Bart problem, let's hope Brooks gets busy fixing the show's other problems. Apparently Trevor Nunn was seen at the show yesterday with a pad and pencil (he's an old friend of Stroman's and is in town directing Stoppard's ROCK N ROLL). This doesn't seem like Nunn's kind of show, but, hey, maybe he can help (they NEED to call Tommy Tune and Neil Simon, two of the most experienced show doctors around). "

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 6:56pm

Trevor Nunn saw the show on Monday night and apparently had a pad in his lap.

Doesn't mean he's doctoring the show. Lest ye forget...he's got one of his own playing a few blocks over.

[Hank]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 7:31pm

re: "the songs are all instantly forgettable, the jokes tired...".
That's my impression of this show in a nutshell.
The only positive was the sets. I loved the horses in "Roll in The Hay" and the lab scene.

[broadwaybaby086]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 7:35pm

I largely agree with what you've said. I wanted to like it much more than I actually did.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/25/07 at 10:31pm

This sounds almost exactly how I felt about THE PRODUCERS. It was a lackluster show that everyone went gaagaa over. I could never understand why.

Now, mediocrity seems to have caught up with Brooks.

[allvocal]

Posted: 10/26/07 at 1:05am

Saw the show tonight 10/25 won the lottery. I have to agree with all of you...I thought the show on a whole is forgetable. There are good moments, funny jokes, a good song or two, but they are so spread out in the show that the show on a whole falls flat.

Roger Barts understudy is fine...but there isn't much of a part, his songs are dumb and not needed.

Sutton is great as usually her Roll in the Hay number is funny.. but she doesnt' do much else

Megan is alright.. but doesn't do anything that you would need a big name to do...

Andrea...she's pretty funny.

Chris Fitz...I thought he was pretty great all in all

Fred Applegate as the blind hermit had the best song/scene sequence I think...

Shyular (sp?) was great.. probably my favortie in the show...

The ensemble was great too.. the dancing and singing were in fine form...

The show was just too much spectacle...it was like a disney light parade...they have this HUGE lighting machine on stage with all these bells and whitsles now some people might think that that means good theatre, but to me it just means that there is a HUGE lighting machine on stage.

[Little-Lotte]

Posted: 10/26/07 at 1:25am

I got tickets for the Halloween matinee...ended up winning tickets off of Ebay and it only cost me like $75 a piece, and they're in the fifth row of the orchestra. So I'm glad I'm not gonna blowing my bank account on this show, based on what a lot of people have been saying. Personally, I loved The Producers. I liked that it was a bit of the departure from the film, instead of a complete carbon copy, which it seems like YF is being. You can't surpass the film, so why try? I'm still anxious to see it though, especially because I've been waiting so long to see Sutton live onstage. I'd like to see Bart in the role, but it looks like that's not gonna happen, oh well.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 10/26/07 at 1:33am

Nunn is already in town and was asked to come in to look at the show and offer a different perspective.It seems like it might be a little late though. Didn't they know about their problems in Seattle?
There also was a meeting yesterday between Stro and Brooks about what they are going to do about the Bart situation.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/26/07 at 2:09am

They are hacking seats on 46th Street for 40 bucks
So much for the 400 dollar seats
Hey, You get what you pay for...
Bart is Smart to stay out.
The general public will still come and laugh
But for how long?