Shtick and Innuendo Take Over Transylvania

By Suzy Evans in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 10, 2009 8:00PM

Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein is too funny. There are too many overused jokes, too many corny gags, and too much suggestive language. Watching the musical at the Cadillac Palace Theatre is like overdosing on Halloween candy. Sure it’s enjoyable and delicious, but in the end, you’ve consumed nothing substantial and you feel a little sick.

This silly stage adaptation of the 1974 film starring Gene Wilder follows the movie’s plot cues almost perfectly. Dr. Victor Frankenstein, from Mary Shelley’s famous novel, has passed away, and all of Transylvania is elated that no more monsters are roaming the streets. Victor’s grandson, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein - pronounced “Fronk-en-steen” - teaches at a medical school in New York and doesn’t want to have anything to do with his family. He’s engaged to the needy and annoying Elizabeth and lives a predictable life, void of excitement. However, he’s suckered back to Transylvania to settle his grandfather’s estate where he meets his trusty servant Igor - pronounced “Eye-gor” - and his sexy lab assistant, Inga. With a little help from his new friends, Frederick explores the possibilities of his grandfather’s legacy.

Unfortunately, the nature of the story is inherently cinematic. The wide shots of Transylvania and a looming castle just can’t be recreated through a backdrop and some flashing lights. Mel Brooks’ other musical hit The Producers, also based on a movie, works because the movie has theatrical elements, which translate to stage. Robin Wagner’s scene design for Young Frankenstein is crowded with so many gadgets, and while the bells and whistles are cool, the grandiosity screams big budget Broadway. (And according to Tribune critic Chris Jones, there were even more bells and whistles in the Broadway version.)

Every other line in the show is chock-full of innuendo, and by the time “Deep Love,” one of the better songs in the show, comes along, the sexual jokes have gone too far. (Other renditions of the chorus include: “Hard Love" and “Firm Love.”) Most of the quips, while funny the first time, were just beaten to a pulp, and the predictability was infuriating. If this show was on vaudeville, we’d definitely condone using the cane.

That said, most of the numbers were entertaining, and the energetic cast livened up even the poorly written parts. Roger Bart as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein and Shuler Hensley as The Monster reprise their Broadway roles, and Anne Horak seizes her role as Inga and delivers an impressive performance. As the castle’s housekeeper Frau Blucher, Joanna Glushak garners every laugh and steals the show with her hilarious number “He Vas My Boyfriend.”

However, in the end, this show really didn’t work, and even the super-hyped rendition of “Putting on the Ritz” couldn’t convince us. It’s not really a problem with the show but a problem with the concept. Some things just weren’t meant to be on stage.

Young Frankenstein runs through December 13 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.