Steadstyle Chicago
	November 2009 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
	Young Frankenstein Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" will be remembered as the first Broadway musical to charge $450 a ticket.  Broadway in Chicago's presentation of the National Tour is asking a mere $95 for the same show, which might seem a bargain by comparison.  But from what I saw on stage at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, the producers and creators should be paying the audience to sit through this unholy dreck.  I have not been so appalled by the lack of creative vision and execution of a show since "Church Basement Ladies" limped into the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts a year ago. This musical knockoff ungraciously regurgitates on stage one of the funniest films of all time.  Brooks and Gene Wilder's 1974 classic had such a masterful sense of style, not to mention a brilliant cast of comedic geniuses that even the idea of reproducing it live on stage seems pointless.  The musical substitutes cheap musical comedy schmaltz and a lot of flashing lights for the black and white terror of a horror homage.  It belabors the existing jokes and innuendos, stretches them out into groan-inducing tedium and tops them off with a series of utterly forgettable tunes. Any comparisons to Brooks' Tony Award winning sensation "The Producers" would be useless here.  "Young Frankenstein" never even approaches that work's lowest points.  It is a crass and embarrassing effort from a man who has created some of the greatest film comedies of all time.  Brooks is supposedly working on a stage musical of "Blazing Saddles," which had me wondering prior to this opening why Brooks would squander his talents and energies reanimating his old film catalogue rather than creating something new.  "Young Frankenstein" should stop him dead in his tracks.  Perhaps the octogenarian composer/lyricist/author simply needed some retirement income. The National Tour boasts two of the original New York stars, Roger Bart and Shuler Hensley along with a bright and perky production that never feels even remotely spooky.  Nauseating yes, spooky no.  Bart in particular seems to be in some strange sleep walking haze as he utterly fails to fill Gene Wilder's demented scientist shoes.  Joanna Glushak's Kurt Weill inspired song "He Vas My Boyfriend" is the only song that even registers, but it feels like extra baggage that momentarily amuses with pastiche as it drags the floundering pace even further.  On a creative scale, "Young Frankenstein" makes such recent Broadway in Chicago mediocrities as "Dirty Dancing," "Legally Blonde" and "Xanadu" all feel like serious art.  This over-priced monstrosity is entertainment bankruptcy. Broadway in Chicago presents "Young Frankenstein" through December 13, 2009 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, located at 151 West Randolph Street.  Tickets range from $30-$95.  A limited number of premium seats are available for select performances.  Call 800-775-2000 or visit Ticketmaster, wwww.youngfrankensteinthemusical.com or www.broadwayinchicago.com.    About Joe Stead Joe Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for the past twenty-five years.  He served as founder, producer and Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida.  Favorite productions have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap," "The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Godspell".  He has also performed leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for Waukegan Community Players.  Joe holds a degree in Commercial Art from Tampa Technical Institute.  As a critic, he has reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.  Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America.  He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers.  He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene.  Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays.  His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).   Second Thoughts by Alan Bresloff Roughly 35 years ago, crazy like a loon Mel Brooks made a film called "Young Frankenstein," based on the Mary Shelly classic.  Now this has been transformed to a live, massive, musical production with every bit of shtick that the deranged Brooks could put on paper and in music.  It is called "The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein," pretty hard to put on a T-shirt.  Gene Wilder, who co-wrote the movie version and starred as Young Dr. Frankenstein is no longer involved but his co-author has taken what they had and made it even more with his lyrics and music and a little help on the book from Thomas Meehan, who has been involved with "The Producers", "Hairspray" and "Annie" just to name a few. Most all of the sight gags and innuendos of the movie have been brought to a new level, live on stage happening right before our very eyes.  I will say that this show is not for everyone.  Children, even if they adore the movie, might find some of the language a bit rough around the edges and possibly old people who are near death should not be taken to this production.  For everyone else this is a laugh-a-minute, slick and skillfully directed show with some of the most talented performers I have seen in a musical. This is the first  National tour and in many cases, tours give us solid productions, but not people who are coming direct from the original Broadway production.  Well, guess what?  We got 'em!  Roger Bart is a sensational Dr. Frankenstein with a mixture of Wilder's zaniness and Brook's craziness.  He can sing, he can dance, he can act!  But as solid as he is, this show cannot work without the other major roles.  Shuler Hensley is also reprising his role and he is wonderful as the Monster.  In fact, these two men, backed up by a terrific ensemble, do a number in act two, "Puttin' on The Ritz," with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, that is worth the price of a ticket on its own merit.  You will have sore ribs from this number, but there is a whole lot more. The story follows, to a point, the Shelley novel about a man who creates a man from parts of dead men but the brain is not perfect and so the town treats him as a monster and even though he is not really, he is destroyed.  This is not true musical material, so this tale has a much happier ending (as did the '74 film) and along the way we meet some very crazy characters.  Cory English is as solid an Igor as Marty Feldman, the Doctor's aid and  the lovely Anne Horvak is Inga, his lab assistant.  She is not only a knockout to look at, she is quite the talent.  Joanna Glushak plays Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman's role in the film), the housekeeper and she is a hoot with song and acting.  Beth Curry handles the role of Elizabeth, Frederick's fiancee who ends up with the Monster and will knock your socks off with her "Deep Love".  She also does a bit of "Sweet Mystery of Love" with fireworks. Each and every one of these lead actors is superb and Brad Oscar who handles two great characters roles to perfection is just a little icing on the cake.  His little scene as the Hermit in the second act is another show-stopping moment.  But we must always tell it like it is.  A production like this, has to have those ensemble members who change characters and costumes and just keep coming back on stage to give a little more.  They are in many cases the unsung heroes in a big musical and they deserve credit for the excellence they bring to make a production whole.  Hats off to Lawrence Alexander, Preston Truman Boyd, Stephen Carrasco, Jennifer Lee Crowl, Matthew Brandon Hutchens, Sarah Lin Johnson, Melina Kalomas, Amanda Kloots-Larsen, Brittany Marcin, Chuck Rea, Christopher Ryan, Geo Seery, Lara Seibert, Jennifer Smith and Erick R. Walck. The touring production follows the direction of the original by Susan Stroman and has a set designed by Robin Wagner.  Jonathan Dean's sound design along with Peter Kaczorowski's lighting add a lot of special moments to the overall picture.  While the New York "critics" may have been hard on this show, we know that Chicago audiences are much more theater savvy and much more open-minded, so heck with New Yorkers.  We are the new theater town and I am only sorry that you can only catch this special theatrical experience through December 13.  I suggest that you do all you can to get this one in, as it may be awhile before you get another chance.