Review: Palace Cast Works Hard to Make the Most of So-So Material in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, whose full official title is The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, is a musical with a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Brooks. Based on the 1974 film of the same name by Brooks and Gene Wilder, it is a parody of the horror film genre, specifically the 1931 Universal Pictures adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and its 1939 sequel, Son of Frankenstein.

While the plot remains mostly the same, there are a number of changes from the film. The opening number, "The Happiest Town in Town", isn't based on any scene in the film. Elizabeth (Emily C. Niswonger) arrives in Transylvania much earlier than in the film, where she arrives after "Puttin' on The Ritz," a song performed in the film by only Frederick (Craig D. McKerley) and the Monster (Clint Cox). In the stage musical, it is sung by all the characters, except Elizabeth. The scene from the film with the little girl is not in the musical. In the film, the Monster is lured not by a French horn but a violin, and awakens in the laboratory directly after the brain transfer; in the musical, the Villagers hang Frederick before the Monster wakes and saves him, and the ensuing finale has been greatly expanded. The character of Elizabeth has also been altered to be sexy from the top which kind of spoils the fun of her later transformation.

The stage musical takes many of the elements that made The Producers hilarious and proceeds to sap them of joy by hammering the jokes home through oversell. What was once a funny line now becomes a not particularly memorable musical number. The problem is the source material. The Producers was originally a 1968 movie about putting on a musical. In turning it into a musical for the stage, Brooks and Company were able to fill it with the sardonic self awareness of the insider. With YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, that kind of winking self deprecation isn't possible, and the end result is a rather bland spoof of horror films with music.

Even with all the fidelity to the film script, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (whose main objective in the film was to be bawdy), the show ends up less like a traditional book musical and more like an overblown burlesque revue, right down to the blue material of that genre.

All that being said, I have to hand it to the cast now onstage at the Palace, which is working very hard to sell this slight material. The laughs, when they arrive, are mostly thanks to some truly funny comic performances. Justin LaVergne turns in a stellar performance in the role of Igor. LaVergne has excellent comic timing, with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, and is hilarious. He clearly walks away with a huge portion of the show.

Also turning in a great comic performance is Katya Welch, playing Inga, the standard-issue Mel Brooks sexpot. Faux-naive roles are tough to play, and Welch nails Inga, from her earnest and guileless nature to her pursuit of pleasure. Another great comedic performance comes from B.J. Ortwin, as Frau Bucher. I also thought Clint Cox was absolutely hilarious in Puttin' On The Ritz, clearly the strongest moment in the show. Nikki Bora makes the most of Ziggy, the village idiot. It's a small role that Bora makes memorable.

I also found Brooks' music to be not particularly memorable. It isn't until the middle of the second act that the show in general really springs to life, when Frederick and the Monster take the stage in top hats and tails to perform Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On the Ritz." Devon Adams and Jesse Smart have provided some great choreography and Mary Ellen Butler has staged the show well, although there are some pacing issues in the first act.

The costumes by Ramona Haas are excellent as is the set by Brandon Bake and Ron Watson and scenic artist Barb Jernigan. Unfortunately, as impressive as the set is, audiences don't leave the theatre humming the set.

However you pronounce it, Frankenstein or Frankensteen, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN isn't something that must be seen.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Book by Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan, Music & Lyrics by Mel Brooks

Running time: Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN The Musical, produced by Georgetown Palace Theater (810 S Austin Ave, Georgetown, TX, 78626). Performances run weekends through Nov. 8th: Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 2pm.

Reservations: https://www.georgetownpalace.com

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