Young Frankenstein

LEOS MTC’s production of Young Frankenstein was a vibrant, hilarious, and high-quality celebration of the company’s 70th year. The show, based on Mel Brooks’ classic comedy, tells the story of Dr Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the infamous Victor who inherits his family’s Transylvanian estate and ends up reanimating the dead with the help of a quirky cast of characters. Full of wit, energy, and toe-tapping numbers, this production had the audience laughing and cheering from start to finish.

Jake Gelernter shone as Dr Frederick Frankenstein. A great, loveable character, he gave an outstanding performance, particularly in “The Brain”. His clarity of diction ensured every word was heard, and he was thoroughly watchable throughout. Jake was truly made for this role.

Mariko Jones was delightful as Inga, bringing warmth and humour to every scene. Her beautiful vocal tone came through in both “Roll in the Hay” and “Listen to Your Heart”, which she performed with great charm. Rhodri Denton provided strong comic support as Igor, demonstrating excellent timing and interaction with the rest of the cast.

Louise McGowan was hilarious as Frau Blucher, absolutely smashing “He Vas My Boyfriend” and Aimee Chilton gave a solid and confident performance as Elizabeth Benning. Her number “Deep Love” was a highlight, enhanced beautifully by the lighting design. Kheenan Jones was a fabulous Monster, strong and funny, his performance in “Puttin’ on the Ritz” was a real crowd pleaser.

It was wonderful to see the inspirational Charlotte Gelernter return to the stage as The Hermit, her fantastic characterisation and beautiful voice delighted the audience. Dan Scott gave a strong performance as Inspector Kemp, and Andy Cattanach made a good impression as Victor Frankenstein in “Join the Family Business”.

The large, talented LEOS cast filled the stage with energy and enthusiasm as students, ancestors, villagers, dancers and a wonderful barbershop quartet. The choreography by Rachel Merrill and ably assisted by Lauren Riley was excellent with great tap dancing. Direction from Emma Kelvey kept the pace slick and the comedy sharp. Musical direction by Charlotte Daniel brought out lovely harmonies and it was a delight to hear and see the live orchestra conducted by Assistant Musical Director Robert McAuley which added great depth to the performance.

Lighting design and operation by David Price created a wonderful atmosphere and Matt Haslam ensured the sound was clear and perfectly balanced between the cast and the band. The costumes by Mina Holtom looked great and Stage Manager Katie Bird ensured the scene changes were smooth, many of which were handled efficiently by the cast. The props were very effective, I particularly loved the torches which I was told were hand made by Katie, such talent!

A special mention about the programme which was very eye catching and informative and there was also an audio version featuring the casts bios read by the characters themselves. LEOS MTC are dedicated to make their performances as accessible as possible and received a special NODA award earlier this year for their outstanding commitment in this area.

This production of Young Frankenstein was a joyful celebration of 70 years of community theatre excellence, many congratulations to all involved. We look forward to watching the Wedding Singer next April.

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