1. Young Frankenstein began previews on Oct. 11, 2007. After 29 previews, the musical officially opened on Nov. 8, 2007 at The Hilton Theater (now The Lyric Theater). The show closed on Jan. 4, 2009 after 485 performances.
2. Young Frankenstein had music and lyrics by Mel Brooks who also co-wrote the book with Thomas Meehan. The musical is, of course, based on the 1974 movie directed by Brooks who co-wrote it with star Gene Wilder. Susan Stroman directed and choreographed.
3. The show stared Roger Bart, Sutton Foster, Megan Mullally, Andrea Martin, Christopher Fitzgerald, Shuler Hensley and Fred Applegate. During the run, Beth Leavel joined the cast, replacing Andrea Martin.
4. Young Frankenstein had a Pre-Broadway tryout in Seattle, WA at The Paramount Theater from Aug. 7, 2001 to Sept. 1, 2001.
5. After the massive success of the musical version of The Producers in 2001, Brooks and Meehan reportedly began work on Young Frankenstein in 2003. After setbacks, including Brooks losing his wife, Anne Bancroft, it was reported in September of 2006 that the first draft of the musical had been completed.
6. In October 2006, a workshop of the musical was held. It starred Brian D'Arcy James as Frederick Frankenstein, Kristin Chenoweth as Elizabeth, Roger Bart as Igor, Sutton Foster as Inga, Marc Kudisch as Inspector Kemp, Shuler Hensley as The Monster and Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher (the part she originated in the film.) Susan Stroman would again direct and choreograph as she had done with The Producers. All were expected to reprise their roles on Broadway but Sutton Foster and Shuler Hensley would be the only two to reach Broadway in their workshop roles.
7. Casting the lead role of the Doctor for the workshop proved to be a difficult one. The producers initially sought Hugh Jackman but Jackman couldn't fit it into his schedule. Jimmy Fallon and Tom Cavanagh were also auditioned for the role. Matthew Broderick was also being considered.
8. Kristin Chenoweth was offered the role of Elizabeth but had to drop out when she was cast in the TV show Pushing Daisies. Zachary Levi was offered the role of Dr. Frankenstein but had to drop out. Eric McCormick was also being considered for the role as was Raul Esparza, Norbert Leo Butz and Douglas Sills.
9. Although her casting was reportedly the idea of Mel Brooks and it was believed she had been offered the role after appearing in the workshop, Cloris Leachman apparently received a letter saying that she would not be considered for the Broadway show. The reason cited was that the producers wanted to keep the movie and the musical separate. Brooks however, had stated that he thought Leachman was too old for the show (she was 81 at the time.). He was quoted as saying "We don't want her to die on stage." Leachman was not happy about that and made it known. After all that hoopla, Leachman appeared on season seven of Dancing With The Stars. With her success on the show, Mel Brooks offered her role after all but the musical closed before Leachman got to take over.
10. Young Frankenstein was reported to be going into The St. James Theater where Brooks' The Producers was ending its run. However, shortly after opening to poor reviews, the cast of The Pirate Queen was having a fight call on stage before a performance at The Hilton Theater when Susan Stroman and Young Frankenstein's set designer Robin Wagner were seen touring the auditorium. They were talking about sightlines and the seating layout loud enough for cast members to hear. The incident was leaked and lack of grace and tact on Young Frankenstein's part definitely rubbed the Broadway community the wrong way.
11. Another way Young Frankenstein rubbed Broadway the wrong way inveigled ticket pricing. Before the show had even started, the producers of the show were acting like they were a major hit. The top ticket prices for weekend shows was $450. These were called "Premier" seats. They also had "Premium" seats for $375. These prices were over $100 more than the top price for any other Broadway show at the time. The producers also refused to release their weekly grosses which is a standard practice on Broadway. Many smelled the stench of arrogance and it turned many a stomach which many believe contributed to the shows less than stellar run.
12. When the show opened it received mostly mixed to negative notices. It was often compared to The Producers, not favorably (or fairly.) The show received only 3 Tony Award nominations. It did however win Best Musical at the Outer Critics Circle awards, tying with Xanadu. It also won 5 Broadway.com Audience awards including Best New Musical.
13. Another unusual tactic that was used by the Young Frankenstein producers was a "teaser" billboard. A billboard over the Palace Theater featured a picture of what appeared to be Frankenstein's Monster under a sheet with the line "Size Matters" and the date 4/23/07. No mention of what it was advertizing though it was pretty clear. What was unclear is what the date meant. Message boards speculated that it could be a theater announcement or casting announcement. It was also the closing date of The Producers, which added to the confusion. Apr. 23 finally came...and went...and nothing happened. The next day however the billboard was changed to say "It's Alive!" and "October 2007."
No comments:
Post a Comment