Call it Musical Theatre Schadenfreude if you will, but I LOVE this snippet from Charles Isherwood's New York Times review of the new Off-Broadway musical FRANKENSTEIN.Not YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, mind you. This is a review of a new musical of the original Mary Shelley novel that is not attempting to be funny - - it apparently just ends up being funny.
Mr. Isherwood writes..."The musical’s other major character is, of course, Frankenstein’s handiwork, referred to here as the “Creature” and played by Steve Blanchard. For all their talk of fidelity to the original text, the show’s authors have departed radically from it in this piece of casting.
In the novel the Creature’s looks inspire instant horror. Here he is defiantly unseamed and devoid of chunky neck jewelry that Boris Karloff wore in the famous movie. With hairless pecs and buzz cut, this Creature would probably be a man magnet on a Saturday night in Chelsea.
"Of course hunks can suffer too, and while his singing is uneven, Mr. Blanchard makes a strenuous attempt to embody the tormented soul of his character, drawn to humanity but repulsive to it. Roaming the stage in something between a swagger and a stagger, he twists himself into contorted poses meant to convey both physical and spiritual anguish. But I’m afraid it looked more to me like the Creature was fighting through a fearsome case of constipation."
Who? Me? Jealous? What do you mean?!?! I've been on Broadway.
Broadway and Lawrence, but still... Broadway...
P.S. Recognize the quote that I used for this post's title?
10 comments:
Young Frankenstein?
Not merely Young Frankenstein, but Terry Garr with a bizarre Cherman accent in Young Frankenstein. Frahnkenschteen.
he a man magnet all right.
Raven - Yep!! You guessed it!
mrpeenee - EXACTLY!!!! I love that you know that! And he is DEFINITELY a man magnet. The show may not run past this weekend, but I would pay a ticket to see that any night of the week!
SEDA-GIVE???!!!!! :-)
Well, I suppose they have to pack those houses on Broadway, and musical queens aren't interested in historical or medical accuracy (have you SEEN their online profiles?). Since it's mostly us 'mos going to see the show, they had to get some eye-candy in the role. They could've done a whole lot worse!
But I'll admit, I'd love to have seen...oh...say, Bruce McCulloch from The Kids In The Hall play the role. Just to fuck with those reviewers (and by the way, who are THEY calling "constipated??!).
Aaron - You're right. Add a hot man to a play full of showtunes and you've got Homo Heaven for a large number of our sexual persuasion.
And by the way, "SEDA-GIVE"!?!?!?!" is my favorite line / moment in the movie version of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Gene Wilder's delivery of that word is comic gold!
I don't see how any musical about Frankenstein could be taken seriously.
Whim - I vaguely remember reading about a play or musical version of FRANKENSTEIN from the 80's that was a tremendous flop. We'll see how long this one runs with that kind of a review in the Times.
Steve Blanchard is making up for all that lost time being cloaked in the Beast costume. And that's fine with me.
Bob - You're so right. And I am with you - - I love the view. :)
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