Young Frankenstein: The New Mel Brooks Musical

 Slightly underwhelming
So how do you follow up "The Producers"? From the start, no matter how well the play is performed, it will always be compared to Mel Brooks's last play. "The Producers" was a critical and commercial smash, and it's hard to give a favorable comparison.

That being said, I felt the songs were underwhelming, lacking the punch of Brooks' earlier works on stage and in film. The lyrics range from the corny to the predictable, but that is not to say the score is without highlights.

Obviously "Puttin' on the Ritz" is by far the most enjoyable song. It's not a song by Brooks, but rather Berlin, and it succeeds in this context primarily to the monster's famous attempt to sing the title line. Other catchy songs are Sutton Foster gamily yodeling "Roll in the Hay," Andrea Martin's "He Vas my Boyfriend," and Megan Mullally's "Please Don't Touch Me," putting a fun twist on the we're-not-in-love song.

The lyrics are filled with double entendres that feel old, as if we've heard them several times before, most noticeably in "Deep Love." It has a very Borscht Belt style to it.

It's not a bad score, just not a very good one. They must hope that the love audiences have for the original film will carry over to the play.
May 8, 2008

 Not worth the money
At one point I had written a long review in regards to this CD, Amazon didn't like it because they said it included too many "personal opinions" so here is my "New" review:

Orchestration - 2 stars - tinny sounding, karaoke-esque quality
Lyrics - 2 stars - Childish, stretching for rhymes, repetitious, un-funny
Vocal Quality - 3 stars - It was obvious that most of the actors "could" sing but were not used to their ability
Vocal Acting - 1 star - campy, corny, and accents that appeared and disappeared.

Final Review - 2 stars, this is a sad decline in the work of Mel Brooks.
April 28, 2008

 Will Not Put Money In Their Pockets
When they decided to charge $375 for the top tickets, I decided that there was no way I was going to aid Mel Brooks and company in the destruction of broadway. (Disney is doing a pretty good job of that as well!) There is only one reason for those ticket prices..GREED! I don't care how good or bad Young Frankenstein is, I refuse to put money in their pockets, and that means staying away from the CD as well. From what I understand, the show is not doing so well and may not last until next fall..GOOD! April 25, 2008

 Young Frankenstein is monsterously bad
Having loved the score for The Producers, I finally broke down and bought this album despite all the negative reviews of the show. Just as the overwrought film version of The Producers blew most of the charm out of the original show, the original cast album of Young Frankenstein takes the same disasterous approach. A few good songs occur, almost by accident, but most of the score is pedestrian. However, the bigger problem lies in the nature of the original film. Young Frankenstein is a far subtler (and better) comedy, probably more a tribute to Gene Wilder's touch on the screenplay than Mel Brooks directorial hand. As such, the score for the musical works against the mood of the show rather than taking it to a new level as The Producers score did.

All in all, a colossal disappointment. April 16, 2008

 Not as good as the original play/cast, but still enjoyable
When you have watched the original with Gene Wilder and Madaline Kahn a dozen times, it is hard to not miss their fantastic performances, but the musical is still fun and enjoyable. If you haven't seen the original, you won't notice the difference and will laugh all the way through it. April 5, 2008

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