Young Frankenstein - ALIVE in Durham!

Young Frankenstein, playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center through December 12, is wickedly funny and incredibly bawdy. It's almost exactly what you'd expect from a musical based on a Mel Brooks movie - almost.

Mel Brooks is the king of shtick and you get plenty of shtick from Young Frankenstein. Unfortunately, what you won't get are any memorable songs or any characters that you might actually care about. Having empathy for Mel Brooks' characters has never been at the center of any of his movies though, so who can blame this fun and, sometimes, charming musical for not having greater depth than the original film. The lack of memorable music is less excusable. That's not to say that there aren't a few good numbers but when one leaves the theatre humming an Irving Berlin tune, well, something went amiss.

The musical is based on the 1974 comedy classic, Young Frankenstein, and follows the story of the grandson of the original Victor Frankenstein. This "young" Frankenstein happens to be a brilliant scientist, and when he hears that his grandfather has passed away he travels to Transylvania to take care of the estate. Hilarity ensues -  at least once we get into the second act.  The first act is full of mostly forgettable numbers and more dropped innuendos than you can shake a long thick stick at. Fortunately, the second act is lively and includes the classic "Puttin' on the Ritz" number that Peter Boyle made famous in the original movie.

The book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan is a fair adaptation of the original movie. Mr. Brooks also brought lively lyrics to his less than catchy music. While there was nothing particularly bad with the music, there was nothing terribly special either. The production values, however, were very special. William Ivey Long's costumes were typically beautiful; the set by Robin Wagner was lush and perfectly appropriate; the lighting, while a bit heavy on the use of strobes, was well designed by Peter Kaczorowski; and the entire production was tightly constructed by director and choreographer Susan Stroman.

While the entire cast, including Christopher Ryan as Frederick Frankenstein, Cory English as Igor, Joanna Glushak as Frau Blucher, Synthia Link as Inga, and Janine DiVita as Elizabeth, were all fantastic performers, it was David Benoit who completely stole the show. His was the one number, "Please Send Me Someone" sang as a lonely hermit, which actually had some feeling to go with the rest of the show's huge helping of over-the-top comedy. What made Mr. Benoit's portrayal so fantastic was the fact that he was both sympathetic and funny.  His comedic timing was simply the best of the bunch, and his voice was strong and clear.

Overall this musical is good, funny even, but not great. See it if you love the movie, or want a very unsubstantial evening of chuckles. Either way, you might not be totally satisfied, but you'll still have a pretty good time.

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