Booking at the Garrick Theatre until the 25th August, there are plenty of reasons why you should see Young Frankenstein. Here’s Love London Love Culture’s reasons…
1. Mel Brooks’ has a great sense of humour that translates well to the stage from the original film – without making it seem dated. Yes there are plenty of old-fashioned jokes (as well as innuendos) in this hilarious production but each one seems to go down a treat with the audience (keep an eye out for the hilarious hermit scene).
2. It sure knows how to put on the ritz… it would be fair to say that a particular highlight of both the film and the musical is the ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ sequence that makes the audience feel like they are really watching the monster come ‘alive’ in front of them in this ridiculous but funny scene. The musical has certainly extended the scene to the limit for full effect and is delightfully appreciated by the audience.
3. Dianne Pilkington as Elizabeth – her performance as the spoilt Elizabeth is truly delightful – particularly when she sings ‘Please Don’t Touch Me’. She has great comedic timing and perfectly captures the character’s attitude to ensure that her presence is fully felt every time she appears on stage. It is a vibrant and lively performance that works well with those around her.
4. The songs are surprisingly catchy – in true Mel Brooks style, the music and lyrics are lively, playful and laced with humour – some of which does nearly cross the line in good taste but is actually never offensive and can be delightful to listen to. Songs such as ‘Roll in the Hay’ , ‘Please Don’t Touch Me’ and ‘Please Send Me Someone’ are particularly memorable and allow the cast to add their character’s personality to the song to great effect.
5. Hadley Fraser as Frederick Frankenstein. It can’t have been easy for Hadley Fraser to take on a role that was so memorably portrayed by Gene Wilder in the original film who brought out all the quirkiness of the character so well. But in this musical production, Hadley is able to put his own mark on the character to great effect in a different way through his mannerisms and constant eye-rolling and little asides that makes the audience feel as though they are experiencing everything alongside him. Nothing is exaggerated or over the top with his performance and despite his character’s experimentations and obsession with the monster actually comes across as the sanest one of all!
Huge thanks to Seatplan and Encore Tickets for arranging Love London Love Culture’s ticket!
Young Frankenstein continues to play at the Garrick Theatre until the 25th August. To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love London Love Culture, Love Theatre.com, From the Box Office and See Tickets.