Young Frankenstein

Burnley Light Opera’s reputation for excellence is well known throughout the North West - and beyond - and the varied choice of show titles, old and new, demonstrates the society’s continuing determination to celebrate the best of all aspects of musical theatre. ‘Young Frankenstein’ is a fresh new musical - based on Mel Brooks’ fantastic film - which was presented in fine style at the Mechanics Theatre with all the pizazz audiences expect from a BLOS production.

This musical takes all the highlights from the classic comedy film and treats the audience to a musical trip through the comical world of Mel Brooks’ hilarious spoof of the classic Universal Studios’ ‘Frankenstein’ film. This musical stage version also has the added bonus of fleshing out some of the characters from the original while at the same time, makes sure to include all the key scenes and running gags from the film. In my humble opinion, as a ‘feel good’ show, this Mel Brooks adaptation works better on stage than ’The Producers’ and deserves a place on the roster of modern musical comedy classics.

First, a word on the staging. BLOS pulled out all the stops to present a stage which looked fantastic. The relatively small (but perfectly formed) orchestra was scattered around the stage, with Liz on violin taking centre stage: this was only fitting, as the violin motif suggesting ‘Frankenstein’ made its way from the film to the stage and was a lovely touch. The technical work involved to bring the stage alive and effect speedy scene changes was a masterclass in how to present a show which looks a million dollars. Full marks here to the stage manager, stage crew, props team and as always, a special mention must go to Dave ‘Wally’ Walton as scenic artist - a wonderfully talented individual who also has that rare quality in the theatrical world of also being a thoroughly nice bloke! Full marks to all involved with the staging, scenery and props to produce such a slick and impressive ‘look’. This was a great achievement.

Let us turn now to the performers, each of them adding a touch of class to proceedings and filling the stage with talent. Leading the way as the titular Doctor, Ronan Pilkington excelled, channelling his inner ‘Gene Wilder’ to provide an exhaustingly madcap performance. Mastering music, movement and mischief with aplomb, Ronan inhabited the role perfectly. Ably assisted by the indomitable Igor, perfectly played by Mal Wood who reinvented the role and made it his own: his was a superb take on the character and was an audience favourite all evening. 

The ladies in the young Doctor’s life were brought to life superbly by Jenny Cliff (Inga) and Leanne Wharf (Elizabeth). Leanne was every inch the diva as Elizabeth and her scenes were superbly choreographed to make the most of her feisty characterisation: the audience loved her every appearance. Jenny was equally magnificent as Inga - the girl we all know that the good Doctor really deserves - and again, inhabited the role completely to the delight of everyone in the theatre. This central quartet drove the narrative and we were in safe hands all evening, as the blending of thoughtful character work, superb vocals and a real understanding of how to work their individual roles to create an effective working team together.

No ‘Frankenstein’ is complete without a menacing monster and we were blessed with Rhys Alexander as the ghoulish creation. This was another wonderful performance, managing to combine the humour of the piece with marvellous movement (given the restrictions of the costume and makeup, this was an especially impressive feat) and dominating the stage with his every appearance. Mark Wood as the Hermit was also on top form. The blind Hermit (a hilarious cameo from Gene Hackman in the film) was fleshed out and brought to life marvellously by Mark in a bravura performance. Great work here with the monster! Peter Gardner as the Inspector was a little underpowered and - just a personal opinion - perhaps a little lost in the company of the big beasts roaming the stage which was a shame, as Kemp is a character with much comedy potential. Nevertheless, Peter put up a decent fight as Kemp, despite my thinking that more could have been made of this character.

Yes folks, I’m leaving the best for last - although in this production, picking favourites is a tricky business - with Ann Mason’s sublime Frau Blucher. I’ve had the honour to appear alongside Ann in a few shows (it’s always a pleasure to be alongside and learn from the best!) and this was certainly her finest hour. Her every appearance onstage was met with breathless anticipation from the audience and we were never disappointed. This was an amazing tour de force which will linger long in the memory.

There were wonderful chorus numbers and set pieces to add to the character work from the principals and the vocal work from everyone involved was first class. Everyone involved was obviously giving of their best and all were really invested in the piece. Anthony and Zoe worked wonders with the choreography and the whole show looked - and sounded - first rate. The overall feeling from the show taken as a whole was one of a stellar team, both on stage and off, working at the height of their powers. This was a textbook lesson in ‘how to put on a show’. The music was in the capable hands of Stephen Mercer-Murray and when you have a chorus made up of some of the best voices in the North West, the end result is always going to be majestic, and so it was. Chorus numbers were pin-sharp and spot on and added much to the overall feel of the production. 

A couple of minor gripes? Having attended on the first night, I noticed a couple of wonky lighting cues and also, far too much stage haze (which often obscured the goings-on on stage to an unfortunate degree) but I’m sure that first night hiccoughs like this would be rectified for the second performance. BLOS know their business and in the best tradition of am dram at this standard, will have corrected any problems overnight. 

I could go on at length about the many and various highlights of this production but things being as they are, I shall finish off here. Anthony Williams, his production team and everyone involved in this wonderful production deserve the greatest praise for what was a stellar evening’s entertainment. Unfortunately, this will be one of my final NODA show reports and my thanks go to everyone at BLOS for treating me to such an impressive finalé to my NODA tenure.

Keep up the good work and I really do hope BLOS continues to go from strength to strength. 

 

 

 

 

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