“Young Frankenstein” opened Thursday night at the Actor’s Charitable Trust Theater. The show is a deliciously crude way to celebrate Halloween. Running through Nov. 1, the musical is an homage to campy horror movies, cheap jokes and the power of laughter.
Coming in at $20.94 with tax for a student ticket, “Young Frankenstein” is comparable to a movie ticket but offers infinitely more engagement.
Concerning the legacy inherited by Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of Victor, “Young Frankenstein” parodies the original B-movie depictions of the doctor and his monster. A love quadrangle between Frederick, his assistant, the monster and his shrill fiancee created an added balance.
“Young Frankenstein” was written by Mel Brooks, an “EGOT” winner and a celebrated comedian, and was preserved by the Library of Congress as a culturally significant film in 2003.
With a massive cast of 27 actors, one would think that the side characters would fade into the background, but with a runtime of three hours even excluding the intermission, “Young Frankenstein” has plenty of time to fully flesh out what makes each character tick.
Standouts included Meredith Vaughn as Elizabeth Benning, the grating fiancee of Frederick; Kate Lay as Igor, Frederick’s humpbacked manservant; and Elise Compston as Inga, whose boyfriend was the original Dr. Frankenstein. These actresses were scene stealers and excelled in their individual songs.
Of special commendation was the set design, with Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory equipment portrayed in movie-like quality. The set as a whole was exceedingly impressive in both quality and complexity.
The choreography was well executed, including multiple kick lines and an impressive parody of the bottle dance from “Fiddler on the Roof.” The big tap number of the night, “Putting on the Ritz,” was the best of the bunch.
The dramatic lighting of the original film was hard to replicate, especially because it was in black and white, but at no point was the stage hard to see, with the balance between spooky darkness and visibility being struck perfectly.
The audio was also impressive, with the sheer number of microphones in play and the wide variety of songs no doubt serving as a massive challenge for the crew to manage. While there were a few flubs from either dialogue from ensemble characters not being audible or the rustling from a mic mid-costume change, the most important aspect of the musical, the songs, were all executed with skill.
“Young Frankenstein” is a superb musical put on by a talented cast with perfect autumnal timing, making this a must see before Halloween.
