Young Frankenstein Tour Extension — Page 2

Interesting. This is from the Houston Chronicle (and I recall seeing other similar thoughts in other reviews):

Scenery by Robin Wagner is scaled down from the almost overpowering Broadway set and works beautifully on this tour, which ends in August after being on the road for a year.

Lighting by Peter Kaczorowski is haunting and full of blue shadows and soft layers at times and then hot, bright, blistering, and bold during the transformations in the lab.

Costumes by William Ivey Long are beautifully executed and are drop dead gorgeous.

So, I don't know, who does anymore?

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I had the joy of catching Young Frank in NY, and was in the minority of actually liking the show. I liked it a lot. The physical production was so lush and full. After catching the tour here in LA this week, I felt the show was so 2-dimensional, both physically and in performance. I still liked the show (and finally realized just how heavy it is on d*ck jokes), but felt the representation of the set was awfully flat and lackluster. The show felt much moodier and darker on Broadway, and here, very blue and lit.

I can't see how they can strip the show down more than it already is, unless they cut the deck they're travelling with. Other than that, the show really can't do with less scenery than it has at this point.

Beth Curry as Elizabeth stunk up the tour for me. I never knew the song was called "Jeep Love".

Updated On: 8/7/10 at 03:08 PM

My mom and some of her friends saws it here in LA and loved it. I have no desire to see it ...

I guess there's no accounting for taste.

I saw the matinee today in LA. It was fun but the event was amplified for me by having Mel Brooks sitting two seats in front of me, surrounded by family members. He seemed a very gracious man.

I hadn't seen the show before and was pleasantly surprised. I thought Roger Bart was excellent, a first rate comedy leading man with stage presence and everything else required. Cory English was a great Igor and Brad Oscar was hilarious in his double act. Joanna Glushak milked Frau Blucher for all she's worth but I though the other two ladies just okay.

It's not a perfect show by any means but it works for me.

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There will be a new cast when the tour resumes on September 12:

Christopher Ryan- Frederick Frankenstein

Preston Truman Boyd- The Monster

David Benoit- Inspector Kemp

Janine Devita- Elizabeth

Synthia Link- Inga

Cory English and Joanna Glushak continue as Igor and Frau Blucher.

http://www.youngfrankensteinthemusical.com/html/cast/

Just saw the national tour tonight. Instead of starting a new thread I will put my review on here.

The cast was excellent. It was the full cast, no understudies. This is the first national touring production I have ever seen in my hometwon that did not use at least two understudies and I have seen MANY touring shows. The energy was great and you could definitely tell the cast was into it.
The biggest disappointment for me was the set. There have been some massive cutbacks in the design since when the tour first opened. The biggest noticeable difference was that for the laboratory, the huge tower like structures with the pipes, lights, stair cases, etc are gone. The are replace by little carts with some light bulbs,switches, and some strange ripped curtains that look totally out of place. There is some strange scaffold like structure they use as well. The lab table no longer elevates into the rafters. The table is just pushed behind the scaffolding during Surprise.
The orchestra sounded great, but they were a little too loud and would drown out some of the singing. The dancing was perfect. Puttin on the Ritz was a complete showstopper and the dancing for the whole number was spectacular.
Overall it was a fun show and the jokes were really funny. I just wish the set was not scaled back so much.

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Updated On: 10/2/10 at 02:02 AM

Frederick- Christopher Ryan
Elizabeth- Janine Divita
Igor- Cory English
Inga- Synthia Link
Frau Blucher- Joanna Glushak

I was very surprised at the cutbacks. Especially for the laboratory. They also painted the weird drapes on the laboratory back drop and painted some boxes and stuff. It just looked out of place.

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^ The scale backs were extremely disappointing for me because I have pictures and footage of the Broadway cast and tour and LOVED the set so I was taken aback when I saw just how much they took out. However, it was very enjoyable and I am very glad I went!

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I agree with you dragonlp86. I also saw the show in Houston, and I absolutely loved it. I will join you in the minority group. The sets worked; they aren't the best sets in the world, but they accomplish enough to make the scene. In Houston, the show was pretty packed. I saw it on a Wednesday night in order to get really good seats, and the show was mostly full. The Hobby Center is huge, so I can see why the show is doing well. I hope this show continues, and I wish the new cast the best of luck. I hope it swings through Houston again!

When I saw it in Houston (it was on a Thursday night, like...the night after it opened in that city or something like that), it wasn't packed to the brim, but it wasn't close to empty either. Curiously, the mezzanine seemed to have more people than the orchestra where I was seated. Which, from what I understood, those rows are usually for season ticket holders, so I'm not sure what was going on there.