The Red Barn Summer Theatre rounds out its 2024 summer season with a rendition of Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein,” a musical comedy destined to spark laughter amongst the audience and keep the audience singing along far after leaving the show.
“Young Frankenstein” debuts Thursday, July 11 at the Red Barn Summer Theatre and continues on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee on July 14. The second week of shows kicks off Wednesday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. and continues Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the last show taking the stage for a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.
“Young Frankenstein” follows the journey of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein who vows to never explore the experiments conducted by his grandfather; however, destiny calls as Frankenstein travels to Transylvania where he connects with a zany group of characters who inspire his “mad scientist” imagination to create a new monster. Director Michael Taylor commented about the version of the show debuting at the Red Barn Summer Theatre, which contains classic songs from the movie, including “The Happiest Town in Town,” “He Was My Boyfriend” and “Puttin’ On the Ritz.”
“There’s two versions of the show,” Taylor said. “There’s the Broadway version, which is the original, and the west end version, which is what we’re doing. The Broadway version, they made it a spectacle of a show. With the west end version, they went back to its roots and really just honed in on the charm of the movie and the original script, so you see more of that still with those fun Broadway songs.”
Taylor continued to describe the reasoning behind the choice for “Young Frankenstein” in the Red Barn lineup for the summer season, stating that the performance encapsulates the essence of the Red Barn by providing a symphony of voices and outstanding vocals alongside a farcical script.
“It’s in true Mel Brooks fashion, a farce with great music and his fun and wit that he has,” Taylor said. “The performers have really taken to it and attacked the material and you’re in for a fun night.”
Taylor commented that the show was also selected as audiences from past seasons have continuously requested the Red Barn to adopt the “Young Frankenstein” show to the stage of Clinton County.
“I’ve had lots of people requesting it,” Taylor said. “The Broadway version, which is just so big, I just don’t know that we could have done it, but since they changed it and down-scaled it, it’s just right for our space, so we’re able to make it work.”
Taylor expressed that while the third show of the season commonly falls along musical lines, such as “Bright Star” in 2022 and “Curtains” in 2023, every year poses new setbacks and possibilities as the actors and crew flex their creativity and talents to create a musical spectacular.
“The musical is always a different beast than the other shows,” Taylor said. “Every minute that you can get to work on it, the better it will be.”
Taylor encouraged community members to enjoy the final show of the 2024 season as it provides an escape from reality for a few hours as they laugh, tap their feet and enjoy the riveting story that poses the question, “what if the original Dr. Frankenstein had a grandson?”
“It’s a chance to get out and do something different, get away from the screen around people with the same interests, hear people laugh and respond,” Taylor said. “There’s nothing like a live audience when you’re seeing a show.”
“Young Frankenstein” debuts Thursday, July 11 at the Red Barn Summer Theatre and continues on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee on July 14. The second week of shows kicks off Wednesday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m. and continues Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the last show taking the stage for a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.
Tickets may be purchased by visiting redbarntheatre.net or by calling the Box Office between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday at 765-659-1657.
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