Review: Listen To Your Heart And Your Brain: Go See ‘Young Frankenstein’
July 13, 2017 at 5:36 a.m.
Review: Listen To Your Heart And Your Brain: Go See ‘Young Frankenstein’
By David [email protected]
Based on how highly entertaining opening night Wednesday was of the Mel Brooks comedy though, it was like the cast has been working together for years. Like many others in the audience, I and my friend laughed a lot and quite hard last night during the show. I’m sure much of that has to do with Brooks’ show itself – his own movie it’s based on is a comedy goldmine – but the cast’s talent, coupled with Scott Michaels’ choreography and direction, made it a grand slam.
The 1974 film “Young Frankenstein” starring Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein was a parody of the horror film genre, especially the early 20th century Frankenstein flicks. Brooks adapted the film from the screen to the stage by 2007 himself, not changing too much for the musical (although the official name of the show is “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein”).
And if you’ve ever seen one of Brooks’ many classic films – “Young Frankenstein,” “Spaceballs,” “Blazing Saddles,” “The History of the World,” etc. – all the winks, nods, innuendos and deadpans that Brooks is famous for are all there on the Wagon Wheel stage through July 22.
The musical begins with the Transylvania townspeople celebrating the funeral procession of local monster maker Dr. Victor von Frankenstein until Inspector Hans Kemp (Michael Bradley) tells the town of Victor’s grandson, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Dicke), the dean of anatomy at New York's Johns, Miriam and Anthony Hopkins School of Medicine.
Frederick Frankenstein wants nothing to do with his Frankenstein heritage, insisting his name be pronounced "Fronkensteen.” After learning he inherited his grandfather's castle in Transylvania, he is forced to resolve the issue of the property and must travel there. Elizabeth Benning (Kira Lace Hawkins), Frederick’s fiancée, sends him off but makes it obvious there’s nothing physical between them.
And then that’s when the audience gets treated to Hawkins singing “Please Don’t Touch Me,” either an ode to abstinence or her breasts. Perhaps both. Having seen Hawkins’ amazing acting and vocal talent in many shows – comedy and drama – there was just something beyond hilarious in listening and watching her perform that song that felt like she was doing something on stage that I had never seen her do before. She has other side-splitting funny moments in “Young Frankenstein,” like the scene after she’s kidnapped and taken to the cave by The Monster (Andy Robinson), but her performance of that song is just unforgettable.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a big Hawkins fan. I love watching her act and listening to her sing. With “Please Don’t Touch Me,” she just takes it to a whole other hilarious place.
After Frankenstein arrives to Transylvania, he is greeted by Igor, played with great effect by Ahlers. Audiences may remember Ahlers as Morris Delancey in “Newsies,” as Travis in “Footloose” or as James Throttle/stage manager/barkeep in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” If not, you’ll definitely never forget him after seeing how great he can be on the stage as Igor in “Young Frankenstein.”
Ahlers gets to showcase his acting ability as Igor and he takes full ownership of the stage in the role. Everything from Ahlers’ accent to walk to facial expressions makes Igor really come to life in “Young Frankenstein” and I’d watch the show over and over again just to see his performance. He simply nails the part and should get some kind of award for how well he does in the role. Igor may not be a smart character, but Ahlers comes off as a comedy genius in the musical. Give the young man a Tony Award.
Igor hires a lab assistant for Frankenstein, and her name is Inga (McKenzie Kurtz). Inga is a sexy blonde bombshell who knows how to yodel, a different role than the one Kurtz played well in “Footloose,” that of the strong-willed and rebellious Ariel Moore. Vocally, Kurtz is a siren who can lead any sailor to her, and she’s also got a lot of good comedic skills in her acting arsenal.
Inga becomes more than a “Roll in the Hay” for Frankenstein, and that gets complicated when Elizabeth unexpectedly arrives in Transylvania.
When Frankenstein finally gets to his castle, he meets the third and final of his new employees, the housekeeper Frau Blucher, played by Wagon Wheel’s favorite daughter, the incomparable Jennifer Dow. Dow is a master of her craft, and she more than excels as Frau. Other than Cloris Leachman in the original movie, I can’t imagine anyone else being as perfect for the Blucher role as Dow.
Dow delivers a lot of funny moments in the musical, but no matter how many times I’ve seen “Young Frankenstein,” what happens when someone says Blucher’s name is and always will be a riot. I’m so glad Brooks kept that in the musical and the Wagon Wheel delivers it perfectly.
As previously stated, Dicke is Dr. Frankenstein and Robinson is The Monster and it’s great to see them together again on the stage acting. They have such a natural chemistry working together, whether that’s in front of the audience or directing a show, that they make it seem easier than it really is. While Robinson was in the last show, “Edwin Drood,” Dicke hasn’t been acting on the Wagon Wheel stage since 2009. Let’s hope that with his good take as Dr. Frankenstein, Dicke decides to act more often on the Warsaw stage.
Riley McFarland – who was amazing in “Edwin Drood” – gets a whole scene to interact with The Monster as The Hermit and it’s very amusing. He and Robinson work well off each other.
There’s a lot of big and little moments to take in and enjoy in “Young Frankenstein.” Some songs are more likeable than others, and certain bits and pieces of innuendo may make some people blush more than others. But I just embraced it all and found myself Wednesday night having a great time laughing. Lots of laughing.
My rating of the show (out of four): 4.
For ticket information, visit the website wagonwheelcenter.org.
The rest of the summer season includes: “The Crucible,” July 26 to Aug. 5; “Into the Woods,” Aug. 9 to 19; and the encore show “Next to Normal,” Aug. 29 to Sept. 3.
The Wagon Wheel also officially announced the 2018 summer season. It will include: “Seussical,” May 30 to June 9; “Saturday Night Fever,” June 13 to 23; “My Fair Lady,” June 27 to July 7; “All Shook Up,” July 11 to 21; “One Man, Two Guvnors,” July 25 to Aug. 4; Disney’s “Freaky Friday,” Aug. 8 to 18; and the encore show “Bridges of Madison County,” Aug. 28 to Sept. 2.
Based on how highly entertaining opening night Wednesday was of the Mel Brooks comedy though, it was like the cast has been working together for years. Like many others in the audience, I and my friend laughed a lot and quite hard last night during the show. I’m sure much of that has to do with Brooks’ show itself – his own movie it’s based on is a comedy goldmine – but the cast’s talent, coupled with Scott Michaels’ choreography and direction, made it a grand slam.
The 1974 film “Young Frankenstein” starring Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein was a parody of the horror film genre, especially the early 20th century Frankenstein flicks. Brooks adapted the film from the screen to the stage by 2007 himself, not changing too much for the musical (although the official name of the show is “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein”).
And if you’ve ever seen one of Brooks’ many classic films – “Young Frankenstein,” “Spaceballs,” “Blazing Saddles,” “The History of the World,” etc. – all the winks, nods, innuendos and deadpans that Brooks is famous for are all there on the Wagon Wheel stage through July 22.
The musical begins with the Transylvania townspeople celebrating the funeral procession of local monster maker Dr. Victor von Frankenstein until Inspector Hans Kemp (Michael Bradley) tells the town of Victor’s grandson, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Dicke), the dean of anatomy at New York's Johns, Miriam and Anthony Hopkins School of Medicine.
Frederick Frankenstein wants nothing to do with his Frankenstein heritage, insisting his name be pronounced "Fronkensteen.” After learning he inherited his grandfather's castle in Transylvania, he is forced to resolve the issue of the property and must travel there. Elizabeth Benning (Kira Lace Hawkins), Frederick’s fiancée, sends him off but makes it obvious there’s nothing physical between them.
And then that’s when the audience gets treated to Hawkins singing “Please Don’t Touch Me,” either an ode to abstinence or her breasts. Perhaps both. Having seen Hawkins’ amazing acting and vocal talent in many shows – comedy and drama – there was just something beyond hilarious in listening and watching her perform that song that felt like she was doing something on stage that I had never seen her do before. She has other side-splitting funny moments in “Young Frankenstein,” like the scene after she’s kidnapped and taken to the cave by The Monster (Andy Robinson), but her performance of that song is just unforgettable.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a big Hawkins fan. I love watching her act and listening to her sing. With “Please Don’t Touch Me,” she just takes it to a whole other hilarious place.
After Frankenstein arrives to Transylvania, he is greeted by Igor, played with great effect by Ahlers. Audiences may remember Ahlers as Morris Delancey in “Newsies,” as Travis in “Footloose” or as James Throttle/stage manager/barkeep in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” If not, you’ll definitely never forget him after seeing how great he can be on the stage as Igor in “Young Frankenstein.”
Ahlers gets to showcase his acting ability as Igor and he takes full ownership of the stage in the role. Everything from Ahlers’ accent to walk to facial expressions makes Igor really come to life in “Young Frankenstein” and I’d watch the show over and over again just to see his performance. He simply nails the part and should get some kind of award for how well he does in the role. Igor may not be a smart character, but Ahlers comes off as a comedy genius in the musical. Give the young man a Tony Award.
Igor hires a lab assistant for Frankenstein, and her name is Inga (McKenzie Kurtz). Inga is a sexy blonde bombshell who knows how to yodel, a different role than the one Kurtz played well in “Footloose,” that of the strong-willed and rebellious Ariel Moore. Vocally, Kurtz is a siren who can lead any sailor to her, and she’s also got a lot of good comedic skills in her acting arsenal.
Inga becomes more than a “Roll in the Hay” for Frankenstein, and that gets complicated when Elizabeth unexpectedly arrives in Transylvania.
When Frankenstein finally gets to his castle, he meets the third and final of his new employees, the housekeeper Frau Blucher, played by Wagon Wheel’s favorite daughter, the incomparable Jennifer Dow. Dow is a master of her craft, and she more than excels as Frau. Other than Cloris Leachman in the original movie, I can’t imagine anyone else being as perfect for the Blucher role as Dow.
Dow delivers a lot of funny moments in the musical, but no matter how many times I’ve seen “Young Frankenstein,” what happens when someone says Blucher’s name is and always will be a riot. I’m so glad Brooks kept that in the musical and the Wagon Wheel delivers it perfectly.
As previously stated, Dicke is Dr. Frankenstein and Robinson is The Monster and it’s great to see them together again on the stage acting. They have such a natural chemistry working together, whether that’s in front of the audience or directing a show, that they make it seem easier than it really is. While Robinson was in the last show, “Edwin Drood,” Dicke hasn’t been acting on the Wagon Wheel stage since 2009. Let’s hope that with his good take as Dr. Frankenstein, Dicke decides to act more often on the Warsaw stage.
Riley McFarland – who was amazing in “Edwin Drood” – gets a whole scene to interact with The Monster as The Hermit and it’s very amusing. He and Robinson work well off each other.
There’s a lot of big and little moments to take in and enjoy in “Young Frankenstein.” Some songs are more likeable than others, and certain bits and pieces of innuendo may make some people blush more than others. But I just embraced it all and found myself Wednesday night having a great time laughing. Lots of laughing.
My rating of the show (out of four): 4.
For ticket information, visit the website wagonwheelcenter.org.
The rest of the summer season includes: “The Crucible,” July 26 to Aug. 5; “Into the Woods,” Aug. 9 to 19; and the encore show “Next to Normal,” Aug. 29 to Sept. 3.
The Wagon Wheel also officially announced the 2018 summer season. It will include: “Seussical,” May 30 to June 9; “Saturday Night Fever,” June 13 to 23; “My Fair Lady,” June 27 to July 7; “All Shook Up,” July 11 to 21; “One Man, Two Guvnors,” July 25 to Aug. 4; Disney’s “Freaky Friday,” Aug. 8 to 18; and the encore show “Bridges of Madison County,” Aug. 28 to Sept. 2.
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