“YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN”: Performances are underway for “Young Frankenstein.” Presented by Kelsey Theatre and Maurer Productions OnStage, and directed by John M. Maurer, the musical runs through November 2 at Kelsey Theatre. Above, from left: Frederick Frankenstein (William Kamps) shows off The Creature (Pat Rounds) he has invented by having him perform “Puttin’ On The Ritz” —with the help of Inga (Kim Pearson) and Igor (Justin Jajalla). (Photo by John M. Maurer)
By Donald H. Sanborn III
Kelsey Theatre is continuing its season of “Matinee Masterpieces” with Young Frankenstein. Adapted from Mel Brooks’ 1974 comedy horror film of the same title, the musical portrays the adventures of the doctor’s grandson.
While visiting Transylvania to settle his infamous ancestor’s estate, the younger scientist is ensnared into creating a Creature of his own. Unlike the monster in Mary Shelley’s novel, this one dances and sings.
The music and lyrics are by Brooks (with the exception of Irving Berlin’s 1927 “Puttin’ On the Ritz”). The book is by Brooks and Thomas Meehan; the duo previously collaborated on the stage adaptation of The Producers (2001). Young Frankenstein opened on Broadway in 2007; a West End production (which included some rewrites and cuts) opened 10 years later.
Kelsey’s entertaining production (of the Broadway version) is produced and directed by John M. Maurer. Guided by Maurer, Music Director Laurie Gougher, and Choreographer Haley Schmalbach, the talented cast delivers entertaining performances that make the most of the musical’s high points.
Gougher ably conducts a 10-piece orchestra (which, though thinner than the ensemble for which Orchestrator Doug Besterman wrote the Broadway arrangements, sounds pleasingly full). A brief overture opens with a brassy flourish, which establishes Brooks’ love of the musical style of mid-20th century musicals, a segue to a violin statement of a mysterious, contemplative melody that will underline a key plot point.
This duality is reversed in the opening number, “The Happiest Town.” In 1934 Transylvania, the villagers learn that Victor Frankenstein has died. Led by the gruff Inspector Kemp (Ed Liu), whose right arm and left leg are wooden, the villagers sing a dirge-like melody in which they recount the havoc wreaked by the late doctor’s creation. This abruptly changes to a cheerful, uptempo melody, as they express relief that the scientist cannot cause further harm. The villagers realize that Victor has a grandson, but the village idiot, Ziggy (played by Brian Wurtz) assures them that he has no reason to journey from New York to Transylvania.
Schmalbach’s consistently excellent choreography pays close attention to the music’s hints. The ensemble is rather static during the opening dirge, then transitions to exuberant high-stepping for the latter section. Gougher gets a pleasing sound from the ensemble, whose voices nicely blend together.
Costumer Anthony Wurtz, too, underlines the dichotomy with an abrupt change in outfits, mid-song, to conspicuously brighter colors. The sequence nicely encapsulates the show’s intention to undercut the spookiness of the horror genre.
Sequences in the village have some of the most attractive scenic design. Blending projections with physical props, Maurer skillfully designs the sets, in tandem with Lighting and SFX Designer Judi Parrish. (Parrish’s lighting is particularly striking for later scenes in the Frankensteins’ laboratory, lending those segments an eerie science fiction quality.)
The debonair science professor Frederick Frankenstein is given an outstanding portrayal by William Kamps, whose sturdy baritone well served Kelsey’s production of Jekyll & Hyde last year. Drawing us in with a smoothly charismatic performance, Kamps adeptly finesses the character’s transition from respectable teacher to mad scientist, making the artfully absurd arc as believable as it is able to be.
Frederick, who teaches at New York’s “Johns, Miriam and Anthony Hopkins School of Medicine,” is determined to distance himself from his notorious grandfather; he insists that his last name be pronounced “Fronkensteen.” Wurtz dresses Frederick in a finely pressed beige suit, underlining his efforts to fit into innocently fit into mainstream society.
The professor is giving a lecture, in song, about his favorite subject: “The Brain.” The phrase “There is nothing like the brain” obviously is a wink at “There is Nothing Like a Dame” from South Pacific, though the number also borrows from the patter songs of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Jenny Weiner is exuberantly prissy as Elizabeth Benning, Frederick’s fiancée. Elizabeth’s introductory song “Please Don’t Touch Me,” in which the character sings about avoiding lustful situations, makes clear that the couple’s relationship is far from intimate (though later events compel us to take Elizabeth’s performative purity with a grain of salt).
Having been informed that the late Frankenstein’s property is at risk of being seized, Frederick travels to Transylvania. In this section of the show — the journey, and arrival at the scientist’s castle – we see Brooks and Meehan lean a bit too heavily on concepts that succeeded in The Producers.
At Transylvania Heights, Frederick is met by the impish hunchback Igor (Justin Jajalla), the grandson of Victor’s henchman. Igor hopes to emulate his grandfather by working for Frederick. In “Together Again” (whose melody somewhat evokes Stephen Sondheim’s “Waiting Around for the Girls Upstairs” from Follies), Igor tries to persuade Frederick that they are destined to collaborate.
“Together Again” seems to be an attempt to imitate the hopeful “We Can Do It,” which is sung by producers Max and Leo in The Producers. However, the circumstances are too dissimilar. Max has been down on his luck, and Leo is unhappy in his current job; each thinks the other can help them.
By contrast, Frederick is resolved in his career, and Igor is content in pursuing his harmlessly sinister deeds. Neither aspires to enough for “Together Again” to enable us to root for a partnership between the duo to succeed. Nevertheless, it is entertaining to watch Kamps and Jajalla perform together, as Kamps lets Frederick’s repulsion give way to curiosity.
Igor has hired an assistant for Frederick: the blonde, yodeling Inga, who holds a degree in laboratory science from the local community college. As written in the stage version, the character inescapably recalls Ulla, the aspiring actress who works for the titular protagonists in The Producers.
Just as Ulla introduces herself with “When You Got It, Flaunt It,” Inga leads Frederick and Igor in the blazingly double entendre-laden “Roll in the Hay,” as the trio takes a hayride to the castle. A lilting waltz, the melody of “Roll in the Hay” benefits from the peasant soprano of Kim Pearson, who infuses Inga with the right mixture of earthiness and innocent sincerity.
Cindy Chait is suitably owlish as the brooding, slightly masochistic Frau Blucher, who greets the trio at the castle. The character’s name frightens horses (a gag nicely executed by Sound Designer Noah Schwartz). Chait infuses the character’s introductory “He Vas My Boyfriend” with a sturdy mezzo and Garbo-esque introspection. (Conspicuously, the show predates #MeToo, and some listeners may feel that the gender dynamics land differently, particularly in this number, which alludes to abuse — though obviously, resolute political incorrectness is one of Brooks’ trademarks.)
Victor’s ghost (Rob Gougher) pressures his grandson to “Join the Family Business” in a toe-tapping number in which the ghost is joined by an ensemble of mad scientists (who sport wigs by Christina Parke).
Frederick at last is completely ensnared in his grandfather’s world, and he invents a Creature (played by Pat Rounds) of his own — albeit one that is vastly different from the one created by Victor (this new one can be lulled to sleep by a violin). Later, the Creature is (temporarily) befriended by a lonely hermit (Chris Boerner).
As in the film, Victor displays the Creature (with the help of Inga and Igor) in a theater, via a performance of “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” The quartet makes this segment the showstopper it needs to be, with Rounds letting the Creature go from slightly reluctant, accompanying grunts; to joining in the dancing, which embraces its debt to Fred Astaire. (Another entertaining dance sequence is “Transylvania Mania,” in which Igor, Frederick, and Inga desperately lead the villagers in a dance subtly evocative of the Creature’s movements, to distract them from its presence.)
It is worth noting that the designers’ creativity extends to the programs, which are printed on newsprint to resemble an imagined village newspaper, Transylvania Tattler. The front page is filled with “articles” that drop hints about the show’s story.
The (October 26) performance attended by this writer was interrupted by the fire alarm, and the auditorium temporarily had to be emptied. (It was unclear precisely what caused this, though it is tempting to attribute it to smoke effects used by the production.) To the credit of the cast and staff, the performance resumed as quickly as possible. As Igor, Jajalla alluded to the event with a Puckish ad-lib, “I set off the fire alarm!”
Not unlike the Creature, Young Frankenstein is a recombination of time-honored musical theater idioms, as well as some of Brooks’ past works. Even some of the inversions of the horror genre are archetypal and expected (works such as The Addams Family similarly skewer the idiom).
However, Young Frankenstein largely succeeds because it gives performers a series of memorable scenes and songs (Brooks is quite skilled as a tunesmith) in which to play off of each other, with amusing results. Even more than a bag of candy, the show is a tasty treat for Halloween.
“Young Frankenstein” will play at the Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor, through November 2. Advisory: The show contains adult language, humor, and (sexually suggestive) situations; Kelsey offers a PG-13 rating. For tickets, show times, and further information call (609) 570-3333 or visit kelsey.mccc.edu/shows_current.shtml.