PREVIEW
The New Mel Brooks Musical: Young Frankenstein
ELOPE Musical Theatre
May 3 to 12
L’UniThéâtre
8627 – 91 St.
Tickets: $25 to $30. Call 780-420-1757 or at www.tixonthesquare.ca
ELOPE Musical Theatre is reanimating the stage with Mel Brooks' American comedy horror Young Frankenstein.
Officially known as The New Mel Brooks Musical: Young Frankenstein, it closely follows the 1974 film of the same name written by Brooks and Gene Wilder.
The musical’s book, by Brooks and the late Thomas Meehan, sticks closely to the movie’s format.
New York resident Frederick Frankenstein is an American professor of neurology who wants nothing to do with his monster-creating ancestral home. However, after his grandfather dies, he returns to dispose of the Gothic estate before returning to the Big Apple.
However, several things happen to thwart his plans. He falls in love with his yodelling assistant, Inga. Just as tempting is the prospect of continuing his grandfather’s experiments of giving life to a giant corpse.
Former resident Thomas Taylor, who studied musical theatre at the New York Film Academy and did a couple of off-Broadway shows including Cabaret and Eurydice, has nabbed the role of Igor (pronounced Eye-gor).
Igor, the creepy hunch-backed castle steward, is Frederick’s sidekick and for Taylor this role is a great opportunity in his career.
“It’s literally a great creative outlet. There’s nothing but fun in this place. It’s joke-upon-joke-upon-joke. You can improvise at any point. It’s a powerhouse role full of funny things,” said Taylor.
“The punch lines and one-liners fall out of nowhere. There’s so much comedy that it’s easy to fall in the trap of overplaying it.
In addition to nailing the constant stream of jokes, the six-foot actor’s biggest challenge has been developing Igor’s physicality.
“Igor is so iconic, the hunchback, the weird voice. It’s a weird physicalization. Either you get it and it works, or it doesn’t.”
Although Igor has an odd voice, Brooks assigned the character three primary songs. In Together Again, Igor is delighted to escort Frederick to the castle. Transylvania Mania kick-starts just as the Monster comes to life, and Surprise slips in when Elizabeth, Frederick’s fiancée arrives just as he is enjoying a dalliance with Inga.
Much of the music is non-traditional. In some choral numbers, every note is sung by different actors and music director Michael Clark spent time paring the score to manageable lengths for the 20-member cast.
“We see the characters go through such transformations. It kind of parallels my life. I came from half-way across the world 18 years ago with no plans to stay and here I am,” said director Martin Galba.
Originally from Slovakia, Galba moved here at 19 to broaden his theatre experience. He discovered the training school, Edmonton Musical Theatre, and worked closely with Dr. Dasha Goody.
“I ended up enjoying these amazing opportunities I would never have had back home.”
Galba uses this opportunity to give the musical a cinematic vibe, sort of a melding between movie and musical.
“We have a TV camera and a film crew of four floating around whose sole job is to represent the world of film. It’s kind of like a live tape of NBC musicals with an audience in front.”
Young Frankenstein runs May 3 to 12 at L’UniThéâtre.
