By Sheryl Flatow
29 Sep 2009
Young Frankenstein is on the road, bringing a monstrously funny version of "Puttin' on the Ritz" to a town near you.
IT'S ALIVE! And singing and dancing and touring.
That galumphing monster with a rotten brain and the ability to do a mean soft shoe is puttin' on the Ritz around the country. The national tour of Young Frankenstein, the Mel Brooks musical inspired by his hilarious 1974 movie, launches in Providence, starring two of the original members of the Broadway cast: Roger Bart as Dr. Frankenstein and Shuler Hensley as the Monster. The show is directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, who also collaborated with composer-lyricist and co-librettist Brooks on The Producers.
Brooks' affection for music and musicals is apparent in many of his movies, including "Young Frankenstein," a spoof of and homage to the classic horror films "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein." But "Young Frankenstein" was a less obvious choice to be adapted for the musical stage than "The Producers," which is set in the world of musical theatre. "What had to be thought through with Young Frankenstein was the love story," says Stroman. "There's the relationship between Dr. Frankenstein and the Monster, which is almost like a father and son love story. And there's the love story between Inga and Dr. Frankenstein. He's a man who only believes his brain, but he finds his heart through his love for her. That seemed a natural way into the material, because nothing's better in a musical than singing and dancing about love."
But singing and dancing about love in Young Frankenstein is not like singing and dancing about love in other musicals. This is, after all, the wild and wacky world of Mel Brooks, which abounds with sight gags, schtick, vaudeville, wordplay and mayhem. "The choreography and the lighting and the sets and the costumes all have to be comic, but they can't clash," says Stroman. "They all have to meld as one. So you look for another spin or another take on an idea. For instance, Dr. Frankenstein falls asleep, and all his crazy relatives come to tell him to 'Join the Family Business.' That number gave me a chance to do a taste of Russian ballet with a Yiddish flavor. The choreography has to have a comic flair that carries on the style of the show."
Fans of the movie who come with expectations of hearing their favorite lines will not be disappointed. "People want to hear lines like 'Put — the candle — back,'" says Stroman. "You want to make the audience happy."
The most famous scene in the movie is "Puttin' on the Ritz," in which the Monster riotously performs an Astaire-like duet with Dr. Frankenstein. The song has evolved into a Stroman production number. "One thing Mel and I have in common is a love for those Fred Astaire movies, which are of that time period," she says. "So the number is a nod to those movies. I also put a shadow dance in the middle of it, which is typical of the 1930s. But it's also a spin on the idea of being afraid of one's shadow. In this case, the shadow is afraid of the Monster. That's definitely a Mel Brooksian way of doing a shadow dance."
Stroman was delighted to have the chance to delve into the material again for the national tour. "I always look forward to having a second shot, because I don't have to worry about the lights or the costumes or the sets," she says. "I'm only dealing with the actors. It's a great opportunity to explore the actual written piece in a different way. When a new company comes together, you give them the freedom to discover, and you see where it takes them."
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| Shuler Hensley and Roger Bart in Young Frankenstein.
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| photo by Paul Kolnik |
