Amazon.com: ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN MUSIC AND LYRICS BY MEL BROOKS -- IT'S ALIVE!
From the creators of the record-breaking Broadway sensation The Producers comes this monster new musical comedy, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, based on the Oscar-nominated smash-hit 1974 film. A wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend based on Mel Brooks' classic comedy masterpiece, the story follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that's Fronkensteen) as he attempts to complete his grandfather's masterwork and bring a corpse to life. Together with his oddly shaped and endearing helper Igor (that's Eye-gor), his curvaceous lab assistant Inga, and in spite of his incredibly self-involved madcap fiance, Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster - but not without scary and quite often hilarious complications.
With such memorable tunes as "The Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and "Puttin' On The Ritz," The New MEL BROOKS Musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is scientifically-proven, monstrously good entertainment...and the only place you'll witness a singing and dancing laboratory experiment in the largest tuxedo ever made. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN features music and lyrics by the three-time Tony Award® winner Mel Brooks, book by Brooks and three-time Tony Award® winner Thomas Meehan, and is directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award® winner Susan Stroman. The show stars Roger Bart ("Desperate Housewives"), Megan Mullally ("Will and Grace"),Tony-Award winner Sutton Foster ("Drowsy Chaperone"), SCTV's Andrea Martin and Christopher Fitzgerald ("Wicked").
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN opens at Broadway's Hilton Theater - Friday, November 9th!
Young Frankenstein Photos
More from Mel Brooks
The Producers (Musical Highlights)
The Producers (2005 Movie Soundtrack)
The Producers (2001 Original Broadway Cast)
The Mel Brooks Collection
The History of the World, Part I
High Anxiety
Spaceballs
Blazing Saddles (30th Anniversary Special Edition)
Twelve Chairs
Amazon.com: Unlike The Producers, the musical version of Young Frankenstein was not met with critical adoration when it opened on Broadway in November, 2007. Mel Brooks had followed the same formula, transferring all of his own source movie’s famous lines and plot points to the stage, but oddly, the cast album works better than the stage production, which is indeed often lumbering. Brooks’ songs are still fairly derivative but here, undistracted by director Susan Stroman’s flat staging, you can focus more on Doug Besterman’s excellent orchestrations and on the adept cast itself. As Dr. "Fronkensteen," Roger Bart is much less grating than on stage, for instance. As Inga, Sutton Foster exhibits some mad yodeling skills in "Roll in the Hay" and sounds like a classic Broadway babe on "Listen to Your Heart." Megan Mullally (Elizabeth) sells "Please Don’t Touch Me," "Deep Love," and "Alone" (a bonus track cut from the show), while Andrea Martin (Frau Blucher) kills with the Brecht-Weill pastiche "He Vas My Boyfriend." And yes, Irving Berlin’s "Puttin' on the Ritz" is included, complete with monster grunts and a long tap passage in this extended version. The show may not be worth the hype, but the recording is a pleasant surprise. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Not "The Producers", But Brooks Still Delivers
Let me preface this by saying that while I was not disappointed, this was not "The Producers". The vaudevillian shtick assembled from the elements of "Young Frankenstein" invite comparisons to Brooks' other show all too well. Musical stylings, song purpose/placement, and gags in "Young Frankenstein" can all find a comparable correlation to corresponding components of the book and score of "The Producers", with the latter winning out in every instance. Now, after saying all that, I still do heartily recommend "Young Frankenstein". In fact, I'm bewildered by the critical dismissal of it, and wonder ... Read More
Rating: - Pleasantly Surprised
Being a fan of THE PRODUCERS I was excited when this show first was announced, and then dismayed by the so-so reviews it received on Broadway. Still, having heard a couple of tracks off of the cast recording and loving them, I purchased the YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN cd, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire score. Sure, the critics had it in for Mel Brooks and panned his project, but the score and the cast are all top notch. Definitely not Sondheim, but if you love music along the lines of Irving Berlin, you will not be disappointed in this recording.
Rating: - It put me right back on Broadway!
My kids and I saw this play on Broadway last month. I bought the CD (which was significantly cheaper at amazon than at the theatre!) to sort of help keep the memories alive. I figured we spent a fortune on the tickets, what was a few more bucks for a memento? The CD works perfectly! It puts me right back in my seat on Broadway to experience the play all over again. The recording is clear and full. The characterizations of all the actors come through very well.
Rating: - Another Score for Mel
Don't believe what you read in the New York Times, especially those caustic reviews by Ben Brantley. He needs to go! Get Clive Barnes back! "Young Frankenstein" is a wonderful, hilarious romp parodying the musicals of Cole Porter and Friml and Youmans. It takes you back to when musicals were fun and frolicsome. There are great performances from everyone. Only Roger Bart doesn't match the mayhem and I think that is more of a directorial matter. I would love to see someone like Bill Irwin or even Robin Williams takeover the role.
The audience simply adored the show when I saw it. And the ... Read More
Rating: - Fantastic!
Having been to and enjoyed the musical whilst on holiday in New York I decided to buy the soundtrack when back in the UK. From the first song to the last I loved the soundtrack and, if nothing else, can remind me of the time I spent in New York and the show in particular.
The tunes are great, the lyrics highly amusing and very much in keeping with the original film.
I can't wait to go back to NY to see the show again. Thank you Mel Brooks.
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