“Young Frankenstein” Debuts in Sacramento
By Elaine Hunt
Staff Writer
 The latest trend on Broadway is to turn movies
into musicals. Some, like “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” hit a home run.
Conversely, the “Spiderman” musical continues to flounder
infamously.
In 2001 Mel Brooks’ musical “The Producers” debuted to astounding
success. It won a record-breaking 12 Tony awards. This fantastic
achievement probably inspired him to do it again with “Young
Frankenstein.” But there’s a key difference: “The Producers” movie
wasn’t as highly regarded (or viewed) as “Young Frankenstein.” In
1974 “Young Frankenstein” opened to popular acclaim. The third
highest grossing film for the year, the movie has become a comedy
classic. In fact, the American Film Institute ranks it as the 13th
funniest movie of all time. So those are some tough shoes to fill.
Photo: A scene from “Young Frankenstein”
at the Community Center Theater April 13-24, 2011. Photo by Paul
Kolnik
 The musical “Young Frankenstein” is
good, entertaining, and an enjoyable evening. But it doesn’t quite
live up to the original. This is only a problem for those of us who
have revered the movie and watched it numerous times. Since the
movie is now over 30 years old, there’s a whole generation of
people who haven’t seen it. And those who haven’t seen it in years
will welcome the musical with open arms.
Photo: Christopher Ryan (left) and Cory
English at the Community Center
Theater April 13-24, 2011. Photo by Paul Kolnik
The musical sticks closely to the original plot and original jokes
of the movie. As a lover of the movie, I found the most humor in
the jokes that were not been part of the original. For example, in
the movie Frau Blucher offers Dr. Frankenstein a brandy. When he
refuses, she instead offers warm milk. When he declines that, she
offers the punch line “Ovaltine?” In the musical she offered those
same drinks, then went one step further and offered a “soy
macchiato.” That addition pleasantly surprised me.
Of course, since this is a musical, all of the songs give the
original movie lovers some fresh material. And there were several
good numbers. All of Elizabeth’s songs, as played by Janine Divita,
entertained the audience. “Please Don’t Touch Me” was a big crowd
pleaser, as was “Deep Love.” Frankenstein (Christopher Ryan) and
Igor’s (Cory English) “Together Again” showcased both actors’
dancing ability.
Photo: Preston Truman Boyd (left) and
Christopher Ryan in “Young Frankenstein” at the Community Center
Theater. Photo by Paul Kolnik
Unfortunately, sometimes we couldn’t understand the lyrics. Some of
the actors did a better job than others of enunciating when they
sang. Those characters with accents were particularly difficult to
understand. I imagine the lyrics to Frau Blucher’s “He Vas My
Boyfriend” were funny, but we didn’t get to hear all of them.
Happily, Christopher Ryan, the actor playing Dr. Frankenstein,
enunciated so we clearly understood all of his numbers.
All of the actors did a good job with their roles, but two
especially stood out as particularly memorable. The first was Cory
English, playing Igor. He had previously played this role on
Broadway, and was obviously comfortable with the material. He knew
right when to go for the laugh. Physically agile, he nimbly danced
and moved around on stage with ease. The other outstanding
performance came from Preston Truman Boyd, who played the monster.
Since he had almost no dialogue, he was limited to grunts and
facial expressions for most of the show. And he squeezed the funny
into every lumbering turn, confused look, and comical groan. When
so much of the comedy was broad and over the top, his humor was
quieter and more subtle. He was simply hysterical.
 The musical number “Puttin’ on the
Ritz” was the highlight of the night. We knew it was coming, and it
didn’t disappoint. They cleverly turned this into a tap dancing,
mesmerizing extravaganza. “Young Frankenstein” kept the spirit and
bawdy humor of the movie. Playing almost like an old vaudeville
show, the musical numbers and dancing added to the silliness and
merriment of the story.
Those who never saw the original movie will love the musical. And
those who already know and love the movie will have the joy of
meeting this new member of the family. Live plays don’t grade
themselves for age appropriate material like movies do. So select
this particular musical knowing it would be rated “PG13+.” There’s
occasional off-color language and quite a bit of innuendo.
“Young Frankenstein” plays through Sunday, April 24, and is part of
the California Musical Theatre’s Broadway Sacramento series.
Located in downtown Sacramento, California Musical Theatre offers a
variety of shows to suit every taste. Check their schedule at
http://www.californiamusicaltheatre.com and make a point of
seeing one of their wonderful upcoming musicals.
Call the Community Center Theater Box Office at (916) 557-1999 or
visit the box office at 1301 L Street, Sacramento, CA, (916)
808-5181. Tickets also available at Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office
for single-show and season tickets, 1419 H Street, Sacramento, CA.
You can also call (916) 557-1198 for groups of 12 or more, or fax
to: (916) 557-2775. Single show tickets for Broadway Sacramento
presentations are available online through services provided by
www.Tickets.com. The season closes with Mary Poppins, June 2-19, 2011.
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