Slog - Comments on Facts About Young Frankenstein

Comment by The General

The General — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:41:31 -0800

My short synopsis of the show: Sutton Foster is ridiculously under-utilized, half of the jokes from the movie didn't work on stage, the sets are incredible, 'Transylvania Mania' has GOT to go, Megan Mullally is my girlfriend. Please let that last one be true. Please.

Comment by adrian!

adrian! — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:59:49 -0800

if i don't see this show I. WILL. FUCKING. EXPLODE.

Comment by Nick

Nick — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:02:09 -0800

Well I have a different take, I really loved "Young Frankenstein" -so much so I have seen it twice now. It has a fantastic cast (Andrea Martin and Megan Mullally! YES please!) I watched the movie before hand and thought it played great on stage, and the sets are amazing. There are many stand out dance numbers, Megan doing "Don't Touch Me" Andrea doing "He Vas My Boyfriend" and the standout "Putting On The Ritz". I wish this musical lots of luck, it was a great evening. I may even go one more time.

Comment by The General

The General — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:09:35 -0800

@3 - Didn't mean to sound down on the show. I actually really enjoyed it and would love to see it on Broadway to see how they've adjusted the show since it started previews here.

Just thought the songs were better than the dialogue in most cases. "Please Don't Touch Me," "Deep Love" and "Puttin' on the Ritz" were all awesome. I didn't like the big ensemble/townspeople scenes, but I do see why they're integral to the story line.

And you're right, Andrea Martin was fabo.

Comment by Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:12:37 -0800

Mexico isn't a city.

Comment by Nick

Nick — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:18:06 -0800

@4 OH yes! "Deep Love" was awesome! That Megan has some lungs on her! That number was great!! I might agree about the townspeople scenes, but I understand why they are there. It would be great to see what they change for Broadway.

Comment by Phelix

Phelix — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:45:17 -0800

Jeremy @5:

There's this funny place called "Mexico City"... it's a city. ;)

Comment by Suz

Suz — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:59:56 -0800

I loved the show. Sets were amazing, loved the costumes, performances, a few songs could go but overall one of the best musicals I've seen. I would love to see it again before it moves on to Broadway.

Comment by NapoleonXIV

NapoleonXIV — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:04:58 -0800

Couldn't Mel Brooks get the right to the original music from Young Frankenstein? Its absence is jarring.

Agree with poster #1--a lot of the movie jokes seem sort of tortured in the show. Transylvania Mania needs to be drastically shortened (I took a restroom break during it, and it was still going strong when I got back), Together Again should go, whatever song the villagers sang as they hunted the monster should go, etc.....

There's nothing I particularly *disliked* about the show, but it could be better.

Comment by KENTUCKY KERNEL OF TRUTH

KENTUCKY KERNEL OF TRUTH — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:06:36 -0800

Anyone else think Megan is sadly underutilized... It's probably too late, but she might be better cast as Inga (Teri Garr's louche role from the movie). Seattle PCers hereby note - along with the strobe light warning that causes epileptic seizures - the monster's speech impediments are made great sport of. The production numbers are awesome but yes, there has to be much more tightening pre-Broadway. The pair of horses named Black'n'Decker are so neigh...and Eye-Gore is a daft marvel...

Comment by pgreyy

pgreyy — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:35:45 -0800

I saw this in a matinee (the same weekend I got to see Eddie Izzard at Bagley Wright--living in Seattle can be very good sometimes) and I truly enjoyed myself.

The performances are all uniformly strong, although there is an unbridgeable gap between Gene Wilder and the Nathan Lane-ishness of Roger Bart...and the re-imagined Inspector doesn't come near what Kenneth Mars gave us in the movie. (And, as a young man, I'd have given anything to roll in the Hay with Terri Garr. Sorry, Sutton...)

Lots of good songs...but if you've gone ahead and bought the rights to "Puttin' On The Ritz"--why bother with "Man About Town" that precedes it?

I think the second act has problems--as that's the area they've changed the most from the movie...and it seems tossed together. (Spoiler alert: No need for including "The Count." That was awful.)

The special effects are great--I was sitting in the second row and was astonished by the lighting effect that indicated a dream sequenced.

And, for the most part, almost all of the jokes that you loved in the movie are in the production...and they still make you laugh.

Only now, you also get Megan Mullally singing about her tits.

Comment by Nick

Nick — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:14:57 -0800

Here is a link to some photos from show!

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110394.html

I expect some free tickets for all the talk I have done about this show to my friends and co-workers! HA.

Comment by josh

josh — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:30:06 -0800

"Number of reviewers allowed to see Young Frankenstein during previews: 0."

What does this mean? Did people who saw the previews have to sign a waiver that they wouldn't write about the show?

Comment by The General (formerly ljg)

The General (formerly ljg) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:10:30 -0800

@11 - Agreed. The Count bit was almost unbearable.

Comment by B-don

B-don — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:33:32 -0800

The run time of this show is no where near three hours.

Wehn I saw it, the show started around 7:40, and I was walking out of the theater at 10:23. Minus a 15-minute intermission, that leaves the runtime at slightly under 2.5 hours. This includes the curtain call.