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Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast Young Frankenstein
When I first heard in industry trades that a musical version of The Producers was being planned, my reaction was that it was about time and the only problem would be casting the lead role of Max Bialystock, which turned out to be a perfect fit for Nathan Lane. I did not have the same excitement about Young Frankenstein. Ken Mandelbaum in his must read "Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops" reserves a special category for properties that do not lend themselves to being made into a musical. This one should be right at the top of the list. The Producers takes place in the world of musical theater and therefore becomes richer with a full song and dance treatment. Young Frankenstein, a satire of a horror films, remains firmly entrenched in its genre, so songs and dances conflict with the proper tone. There are several quite cute songs—"Please Don't Touch Me," "Together Again," "Roll in the Hay" and "The Transylvania Mania," among others—and there are some that are not top drawer, another argument against this treatment. The rhythm of the movie is quite properly rapid fire, more so than is possible here. No matter, the musical version does exist and Manatee Players is offering a strong rendition of it with lots of fine performances and a couple of outstanding ones. Much of the credit for this production being as lively as it is goes to director DeWayne Barrett who also directed last year's spirited version of Legally Blonde. He began his career as a choreographer and the dances are highlights of this show. In one sequence in the second act, men in a circular formation carrying the women aloft drew applause from the audience. Brian F. Finnerty as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein shows potential to inhabit a star part with excellent singing and dancing skills; only his youth (18 years old) trips him up a bit. Andrea Wright, newcomer to Manatee Players but known in other local theaters, shows off a great voice and winsomeness that is perfect for the role of Inga. Mark Netherly is terrific as Igor, a part with great opportunities to shine. Danae DeShazer shows why she is a local favorite (recent parts with other theaters include Hedy Larue in How to Succeed and Violet in Side Show) as Elizabeth. She makes a meal of these "sexy dame" characters. Karen Lalosh as Frau Blucher shows some of the strongest comic abilities on stage. Her star turn in Legally Blonde was no fluke. William E. Masuck as The Monster is at his best in the "Putting on the Ritz" sequence. Other strong performers include Tom Westlake as The Hermit and 1/4 of Transylvania Quartet, Zachary Hlavac, Killam "Tyler" Johnson and Nick Kim as the rest of the quartet and Travis Rodgers as Victor Frankenstein. The weakness of this production is one that is shared with last year's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: the pace of the comic dialogue lacks the zip to keep the audience laughing. This is most noticeable in an early sequence between a telegraph boy and Frederick Frankenstein that is lifted right out of the movie. In the hands of Gene Wilder and some brilliant character actor it is howlingly funny, but here it falls a bit flat with too much air between the lines. It must be also noted that the audience I shared the show with was not as responsive as I might have wished, which might have spurred the cast to greater heights. For this production, Kirk Hughes has designed sets and projections that are among the best I have seen in regional theater in the area. Two non-rectangular frames, one in front of the other, sometimes tilted in the same direction, sometimes not, subtly help define the stage action, a brilliant coup de theater. Outstanding costumes by Jean Boothby and lighting by Mike Wood from Asolo Rep's lighting staff are strong elements as well. The same cannot be said of the sound design by Tom Sell and Matt Voye. The gremlins that plagued the first act of last season's Miss Saigon are back with a vengeance, making it difficult to understand lyrics and even some dialogue. I had a brief conversation with a sound man at intermission who said it is not the sound system's fault when I asked if they were continuing to work on this problem, that the issue was the density of the lyrics in the show. I'm not sure that this is correct, as even "Listen to Your Heart," which does not have rapid fire lyrics, is not as clear as I might wish. J.J. Novembrini making his Florida music directing debut, keeps tempos spritely, although a couple of the weaker numbers, such as "The Brain," are allowed to drag a bit. He gets good performances from the members of his band. All in all, Young Frankenstein is a fun show and will appeal to musical comedy aficionados. Manatee Players presents Young Frankenstein at Manatee Center for the Performing Arts through November 10, 2013, at 502 3rd Ave W., Bradenton; 941 748-0111, manateeplayers.com. Cast(In Order of Appearance) Directed and Choreographed by Dewayne Barrett
The Band:
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