Young Frankenstein, a musical by Mel Brooks. Hilton Theatre. Starring Roger Bart, Megan Mullally, Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley, Andrea Martin, Fred Applegate, Christopher Martin.
We opted to go to the second preview of "Young Frankenstein." Tickets were hard to come by, so instead of our usual preferred Saturday Matinee, we went on a Friday night, probably the worst night of the week to drive into New York. Sure enough, we had a terrible commute, taking over three hours to get in the city (two hours longer than usual!). This set the bar very high for our Bridge and Tunnel Test, not to mention the fact that the tickets were costly (although not of the excessive premium level). Was "Young Frankenstein" worth the time and the cost? Absolutely! This brilliant follow up by Mel Brooks to his smash 2001 Broadway hit "The Producers" should enjoy a huge run as the big commercial hit not only this season, but for many seasons to come. This was the third show we've seen in the huge Hilton Theatre ("Ragtime" and "42nd Street" were the others) and it was the first that actually looked like it belonged in a venue of such scale. Right at the start, we were confronted by the most magnificent drop curtain we've seen. The show sat beautifully on the stage, the sets and special effects were simply amazing. The marvelous cast, one of the most accomplished I've ever seen is brilliant: Roger Bart, not slavishly imitating Gene Wilder, is funny, and dances and sings to perfection; Sutton Foster, one of my favorites, is in top form. Her number "Roll in the Hay" is probably the best new material in the show and received an eruption of an ovation. And does she ever yodel! Christopher Fitzgerald has a triumph as Igor (funny at every moment) and Andrea Martin is phenomenal in her ersatz Weill number "He Vas My Boyfriend." Megan Mullally is excellent although she doesn't quite match her movie predecessor Madeline Kahn. Shuler Hensley who was so fine as Jud Fry is amazing as the monster, and steals the show in the second act with "Puttin' On the Ritz," the number in which Stroman's choreographic genius flashed brightest (though as a director she doesn't miss a step). It's no insult to Brooks that this Berlin standard is the best number in the show! But more than any single number or actor, it's the sheer fun and joy of the piece, and the aesthetic zing of the production. It's fresh throughout. Probably a number or two could be cut (I'd cut one of Mullally's and perhaps some or all of "Welcome to Transylvania.") but even as long as it ran, the children in the audience giggled and laughed all night. It was one big party. And again, those special effects - the "Join the Family Business" number alone will put this production in the effects pantheon. We had a wonderful time. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test mark A+
We opted to go to the second preview of "Young Frankenstein." Tickets were hard to come by, so instead of our usual preferred Saturday Matinee, we went on a Friday night, probably the worst night of the week to drive into New York. Sure enough, we had a terrible commute, taking over three hours to get in the city (two hours longer than usual!). This set the bar very high for our Bridge and Tunnel Test, not to mention the fact that the tickets were costly (although not of the excessive premium level). Was "Young Frankenstein" worth the time and the cost? Absolutely! This brilliant follow up by Mel Brooks to his smash 2001 Broadway hit "The Producers" should enjoy a huge run as the big commercial hit not only this season, but for many seasons to come. This was the third show we've seen in the huge Hilton Theatre ("Ragtime" and "42nd Street" were the others) and it was the first that actually looked like it belonged in a venue of such scale. Right at the start, we were confronted by the most magnificent drop curtain we've seen. The show sat beautifully on the stage, the sets and special effects were simply amazing. The marvelous cast, one of the most accomplished I've ever seen is brilliant: Roger Bart, not slavishly imitating Gene Wilder, is funny, and dances and sings to perfection; Sutton Foster, one of my favorites, is in top form. Her number "Roll in the Hay" is probably the best new material in the show and received an eruption of an ovation. And does she ever yodel! Christopher Fitzgerald has a triumph as Igor (funny at every moment) and Andrea Martin is phenomenal in her ersatz Weill number "He Vas My Boyfriend." Megan Mullally is excellent although she doesn't quite match her movie predecessor Madeline Kahn. Shuler Hensley who was so fine as Jud Fry is amazing as the monster, and steals the show in the second act with "Puttin' On the Ritz," the number in which Stroman's choreographic genius flashed brightest (though as a director she doesn't miss a step). It's no insult to Brooks that this Berlin standard is the best number in the show! But more than any single number or actor, it's the sheer fun and joy of the piece, and the aesthetic zing of the production. It's fresh throughout. Probably a number or two could be cut (I'd cut one of Mullally's and perhaps some or all of "Welcome to Transylvania.") but even as long as it ran, the children in the audience giggled and laughed all night. It was one big party. And again, those special effects - the "Join the Family Business" number alone will put this production in the effects pantheon. We had a wonderful time. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test mark A+
posted by James Camner | 9:13 PM
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