Acorn

Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Life & Arts

Media Credit: weblogs.amny.com/entertainment/stage/blog/franken Roger Bart plays Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankesntein.

There is a "new, new Mel Brooks musical" on Broadway. And in most respects, it's acting like its Mel Brooks predecessor, The Producers, but with no critical acclaim or awards to show for it, although it still charges the most of any other Broadway show for premium seats.It also shows its ties to its older, more successful Broadway brother, in Susan Stroman, who directs and choreographs the show using the same technique and devices, as well as using many of the same ensemble members.

Roger Bart (Dr. Frankenstein) also has a connection to The Producers-having been in the original Broadway production and winning a Tony nomination. Bart was the original Carmen Ghia in The Producers and earned a Tony nomination and recreated the role on film, as well as replaced Matthew Broderick in the Broadway company.

Young Frankenstein: The new Mel Brooks Musical, is a musical version of Mel Brooks' 1974 film. It centers on Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, brain surgeon and professor, living in Manhattan in the 1930s. Frederick learns that his grandfather in Transylvania has died, leaving him his estate.

On the pier, as Frederick sets sail to Europe to claim his inheritance, his ditzy socialite of a fiancée, Elizabeth, warns him in a song, "Please Don't Touch Me." The lyrics explain that Elizabeth will not have any sexual relations with him until they are married. "You can have me, can't you see if it's just a fantasy, please don't touch me!" and "Matrimony is divine and although you might think I'm a tease, please don't touch me" are just two of the humorous lines in the song.

Upon arriving in Transylvania, he is met by grandfather Frankenstein's assistant, Igor, with a hump that moves every time he turns to look at it and his new, sexy, na've farm-girl secretary, Inga. When they arrive at the house, Frederick meets Frau Blucher, the castle housekeeper and grandfather Frankenstein's mistress.

While Frederick ends up continuing his grandfather's experiments, Igor steals the wrong brain, thinking the brain he grabbed belonged to Abby Normal. "The Monster" escapes and terrorizes the town. Elizabeth surprises Frederick in Transylvania but finds "Deep Love" with "The Monster." Young Frankenstein provides a very entertaining evening, and while not as innovative as The Producers, it has its hilarious moments. Those moments are provided by the score. The songs sung by Elizabeth (Michele Ragusa), Dr. Frankenstein's "adorable, madcap fiancée," are funny and memorable. Although Elizabeth only appears in the second scene in the first act and disappears until the middle of the second act, one cannot help but search through the playbill, waiting anxiously for her to return with another show-stopping number.

Continued...

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