Review: Young Frankenstein, at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
As well as Acorn Antiques' concert performance, the Hope Mill have been celebrating their 10th Anniversary - where has time gone?! And keeping with tradition of bringing less known or seen musicals to their stage, they have chosen a spooky spoof to grace their factory floor.
Throughout Autumn, we have been invited to Transylvania
Not to see Dracula, but for Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein The Musical, based off the classic Mel Brooks 1974 comedy horror spoof.
The film was a take on the classic Frankenstein story, but with the Mel Brooks twist, a homage to classic horror films of the 1930s. And with the success of The Producers as a musical, I suppose it was only a matter of time before another Mel Brooks classic was brought to the stage.
The Hope Mill was a great choice to hold this spooky fun fest. With it being slightly out of Manchester City centre, it felt almost like a group gathering around a secluded wood or abandoned building and telling ghost stories.
The set was stripped back, allowing the audience's imagination do the talking. Only thing to mind though was that the amount of dry ice can be a bit much, especially if you're closer to the front.
In this story we meet Dr Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced Fronk-en-steen), a renowned lecturer and neurosciencentist from New York
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| A couple of cheeky "Doctor"s before the show Aka Cosmopolitans with Blue Curacao |
Along the way, he meets a colourful cast of zany characters, gives into temptation upon reading his grandfather's work, and unleashes Transylvania Mania upon the town.
And in classic Mel Brooks style, there are plenty of laughs
Just as you would expect from the great man, there are plenty of laughs from the tight book to enjoyable songs, one or two with a catchy beat to them. Roll in the Hay and He Vas My Boyfriend are particular standouts, allowing us to gain a better understanding of Inga and Frau Blücher and, of course, there's the classic Puttin' on the Ritz sequence, an explosion of tap, classic 30s glamour and hilarity thanks to Pete Gallagher's Monster. Being a Strictly Come Dancing winner, this moment was when Ore Oduba (Pretty Woman) shined the most as Frederick, and can let out his charming inner Fred Astaire.
It is however the cast of side characters who truly bring the laughs in this show
However, I must talk about Rhiannon Chesterton (Grease) as Elizabeth Benning, Frankenstein's rich socialite NYC fiancée. From the typical Miss Adelaide squeak she put one, I could tell that she was going to be as stunning as hell. Her vocal range is incredible, from high soprano to ridiculous belting. On top of that, her comic timing was completely on point, her line delivery bringing out a laugh every time she was on stage. Can someone cast her as Glinda please?
If you're wanting to keep the spooky season going for as long as you can get away with it, Young Frankenstein is definitely a great pick
If you're unfamiliar with Brooks' style of comedy, some of the more dated jokes may not land as well depending on your taste, and overall, The Producers is the one with the sharper and funnier script. Having said that though, there were still plenty of laughs to be found, with either director Nick Winston or this cast taking a line and making it as over the top, silly, or dead pan serious as it needs to be.
We can all agree that what Mel Brooks does best is to take a slightly more serious subject and turn it into something completely daft. And on that front, Young Frankenstein 100% fits that bill.
Young Frankenstein is playing until the 30th November, and will then be at the Liverpool Playhouse over the Christmas period.
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