The Doctor Is In! Hunter Foster Will Manage a Fresh Shop of Horrors in Frankenstein

By Kenneth Jones
August 17, 2007

Tony Award nominee Hunter Foster Ð known for comic turns in Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown and The Producers Ð will explore darker material this fall when he plays Victor Frankenstein in the new musical, Frankenstein, Off-Broadway.

Foster will star as "the rebel scientist who challenges the laws of nature and morality when he breathes life into his inanimate creature," according to the producers of the Mary Shelley-inspired musical by composer Mark Baron and lyricist-librettist Jeffrey Jackson. "Faced with intolerance and adversity, the scientist's creation rebels against the world around him, ultimately destroying the very man who gave him life."

Additional casting will be announced soon. Performances begin at 37 Arts (450 West 37th Street) Oct. 10. Opening is Nov. 1.

"This role excites me," Foster said in a statement. "It's like nothing I have done before and I am thrilled for the challenge. The story is a significant part of my childhood. I loved the 'Frankenstein' movies. I couldn't get enough of them. Mark and Jeffrey have written such a terrific adaptation. I can't wait to dive into rehearsal."

This fall, a few blocks away on 42nd Street, Foster's Tony Award-winning sister, Sutton Foster, will be playing Inga in the Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein. (You can smell the photo op even now.)

Presented by Gerald Goehring, Douglas C. Evans, Michael F. Mitri in association with Barbara & Emery Olcott and David S. Stone, Frankenstein's "original story adaptation" is by Gary P. Cohen, with direction by Bill Fennelly.

Hunter Foster received a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Seymour in the Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors. He originated the role of Bobby Strong in the Broadway and Off-Broadway companies of Urinetown (Outer Critics and Lucille Lortel Award nominations). Other Broadway credits include Grease! Footloose, Les Miserables and the concerts of Alan Menken's King David.

Frankenstein performances will play Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM; Wednesday and Sunday at 3 PM; and Saturdays at 2 PM. Tickets are on sale now at TicketMaster.com or at (212) 307-4100. Student rush tickets ($20 each) will be available at all performances 20 minutes prior to curtain with valid student ID.

For more information visit www.FrankensteinTheMusical.com.