I really, really love Young Frankenstein, as is obvious from my retro review here. It has always been my favorite Mel Brooks movie, and was one of the first DVDs I ever bought. The film began my love of everything Madeline Kahn; it was one of the few great movies in my youth that wasn't a retro Disney movie or '80s crapfest. It's just damned good. After all the success Brooks had with The Producers on-stage, one would think that the same success could be found with source material like Frankenstein, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.In their Studio Briefing news at IMDb, there's a collection of notes from theatrical reviewers on the Broadway production, and they aren't very positive. In fact, it's looking like this musical is tarnishing all the wonder of the original film. According to Ben Brantley, the production saps the original of its joy, and definitely isn't worth its exorbitant budget and pricey premier seating; Chris Jones called it a "colossal disappointment", while even the nicer reviews still say the magic, spark, and greatness is gone. That's really a shame. On the one hand, at least we'll probably be free of a movie that is based on a musical, which is based on a movie. But it's still sad. Have any of you seen it? Is it as much of a waste as the reviewers describe?
1. I worked for the building that this show rehearsed in. While I haven't seen the show with it's grand set I did get to see it straight through with all of its dance numbers. I'd have to agree that there really is a lack of magic. More so I think it has to do with the fact that great musicals are made from mediocre movies. The Producers was very funny but nowhere near the level that Young Frankenstein was. There was a smaller expectation level. I think this show suffered from expectations that they couldn't meet.
Posted at 5:45PM on Nov 9th 2007 by Anthony