Which Mel Brookss raunchy, made-for-Broadway musical comedy arrives at the Kennedy Center next week?
When Mel Brooks’s raunchy, made-for-Broadway musical comedy arrives at the Kennedy Center next week on a national tour, that will be the question on more than a few lips. The musical was the much-anticipated follow-up to the megahit “The Producers” but ran for only 15 months on Broadway. Not bad, but certainly not “The Producers” either. And critics were not kind, suggesting that the show didn’t deliver on its $450 top ticket price. “We were hurt by finances and by the economy that hit us the exact time we opened; there were circumstances that kept it from selling as many tickets,” says the show’s director, Susan Stroman, herself a “Producers” alum. “I think for Mel, he had such a success with ‘The Producers’ — it broke all box office records, it broke theater award records and now it’s played all over the world — I think people had a hard time seeing this as its own entity and its own story. Maybe they wanted ‘Producers 2,’ but instead they’ve got a big ol’ monster.” Sources:
‘Frankenstein’ gets 2nd chance By Lavanya Ramanathan Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, December 11, 2009 Can the road zap new life into “Young Frankenstein”? When Mel Brooks’s raunchy, made-for-Broadway musical comedy arrives at the Kennedy Center next week on a national tour, that will be the question on more than a few lips. The musical was the much-anticipated follow-up to the megahit “The Producers” but ran for only 15 months on Broadway. Not bad, but certainly not “The Producers” either. And critics were not kind, suggesting that the show didn’t deliver on its $450 top ticket price. “We were hurt by finances and by the economy that hit us the exact time we opened; there were circumstances that kept it from selling as many tickets,” says the show’s director, Susan Stroman, herself a “Producers” alum. “I think for Mel, he had such a success with ‘The Producers’ — it broke all box office records, it broke theater award records and now it’s played all over the world — I think peo
When Mel Brooks’s raunchy, made-for-Broadway musical comedy arrives at the Kennedy Center next week on a national tour, that will be the question on more than a few lips. The musical was the much-anticipated follow-up to the megahit “The Producers” but ran for only 15 months on Broadway. Not bad, but certainly not “The Producers” either. And critics were not kind, suggesting that the show didn’t deliver on its $450 top ticket price. “Young Frankenstein” is now leaner and more seasoned, and most important, much of its stellar Broadway cast signed on for the second go-round. Tony-winning actors Roger Bart (Dr. Frankenstein) and Shuler Hensley (the Monster) stuck with the show as did standout Cory English (Igor). Sources: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/10/AR2009121001448.
