“Young Frankenstein”, playing at the Orange County Performing Arts Center until Saturday, is like the Rocky Horror Picture Show for theatergoers (without the crazy costumes—at least on the audience side). Those who were fans of the 1974 movie shouted out lines and jokes before the actors on stage had a chance to get them out, making it a rowdy, interactive event.
The Mel Brooks musical doesn’t disappoint its namesake, with plenty of slapstick comedy and overly sexual jokes and songs (which makes this campy show not appropriate for children). But much of the 30-year-old and older crowd laughed out loud for the multiple crotch injury sketches.
The show follows Young Doctor Frankenstein’s trip to Transylvania Heights to follow in his uncle’s footsteps of raising the dead. The high-energy show is punctuated by a number of Susan Stroman-choreographed dances performed by several Radio City Rockettes and classically trained ballet dancers, who bring a touch of class to the otherwise purposely crass show.
The musical portion was carried by women, as Synthia Link, who plays laboratory assistant and love interest Inga, and Janine Divita, who plays the narcissistic fiance Elizabeth, infused their songs with their characters’ personalities and let the quality of their voices shine through.
No good comedy would be complete without the comic relief of a good sidekick, and Cory English, who plays humpback and willing assistant Igor, fulfills the roll to the fullest.
Forewarning for anyone with sensitive eyes or propensity to seizures: the show features several intense strobe light sequences that had the audience shielding their eyes and missing whole scenes. But that over-the-top styling is exactly what makes “Young Frankenstein” so appealing to its cult-like following, which, I imagine, will be out in force for the rest of its run.
—Julie Leupold
