Great Local Shows - Theatrical Reviews
| Title | Young Frankenstein |
| Organization | Rocklin Community Theatre |
| Date(s) of show | April 12-28, 2013 |
| Reviewer | Dick Frantzreb |
| Review | After the first show-stopping number (the first of
many), I found myself thinking, “This show is too big for this little
theater; too big for Rocklin. It should be on a big stage and draw
hundreds and hundreds of people.” Anyone who liked Mel Brooks’ movie by
the same name is almost sure to like Rocklin Community Theatre's send-up
of the musical, "Young Frankenstein." The musical numbers are memorable,
even if their tunes are not, and productions like “There Is Nothing Like
the Brain” or “Join the Family Business” or “Transylvania Mania” are
just some of the big, flashy numbers. The lyrics and dialog borrow a lot
from the movie (like the song, “He Vas My Boyfriend”), but there is so
much additional wit, I found myself straining so that I wouldn’t miss a
line. That’s not to say the there was anything wrong with the audio. The
actors/singers were well miked, and besides that, nearly all had big,
listenable voices. And then there was the dancing. The whole show seemed
tightly choreographed, and the dancing was creative and added greatly to
the show’s energy. And much of the dancing (including a bit of tap
dancing) was carried off by the “chorus” of 8 women and two men, who,
like all those in the key roles were complete entertainers. (They even
sang pretty good 4-part harmony at one point.) And all the music was
supported by a 12-piece live orchestra that played brilliantly
throughout. How could they afford that? Well, one way is that there was not much of a set to speak of. But that was OK. There were some very effective set pieces, good costumes, and wonderfully creative staging ideas. But what transported the show to professional quality was the comic acting that delivered strongly drawn characters, starting with Martin Lehman as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, right down the cast list. I was especially impressed with Mike Mechanick as Igor, Jenna Cook as Inga, and Jessica Larrick as Elizabeth -- and Rob Hayes was perfect as The Monster. I thought they all played their parts to perfection – not too silly – just manic enough. And so much of the credit for the quality of this show lies with Director, Ryan Adame. I’ve seen him as an actor 8 or 10 times in the last few years, and this is the third time I’ve seen him direct – and his inspired work is delivering one great show after another. Parents need to be warned that this is a rather bawdy show, with a strong dose of adult humor – definitely PG-13 – and I would be uncomfortable seeing it with even older teenagers. But the fact remains that this is high-quality entertainment from talented, experienced people. Chalk up another winner for Rocklin Community Theatre. |
