Puttin' on the hits: Elmwood 'Young Frankenstein' a winner

By Peter D. Kramer on September 22, 2024

Miguel Acevedo (he's the one holding the brain) leads the company of Elmwood's "Young Frankenstein," on stage in a don't-miss production through Sept. 28. Photo courtesy Elmwood Playhouse.

Community theater simply doesn't get better than "Young Frankenstein" on stage at Elmwood Playhouse in Nyack through Sept. 28.

Check that. Theater doesn't get better than "Young Frankenstein" at Elmwood Playhouse.

The hard-working cast of 18 fills the tiny Elmwood stage -- on Steve Loftus' functional, Swiss Army knife of a set -- and brings the Mel Brooks musical to hilarious life in dance numbers that require extra precision. (Did I mention the stage is tiny?)

Director-choreographer Jason Summers, a standout most recently in Elmwood's "The Play That Goes Wrong," has chosen a cast of absolute ringers, led by Miguel Acevedo as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (it's pronounced Fronkensteen), Tom Beck Jr. as his trusty, bumpy Igor, Grace Callahan as his yodeling lab assistant, Inga, and Tamara Alexander as the housemaid Frau Blucher (neigh!).

Summers doesn't stop there. Christine Gnieski plays the good doctor's fiancee Elizabeth, James Lugo is the doctor's grandfather, Mario Andres is The Monster and Neil Schleifer doubles the roles of the extremity-challenged Inspector Kemp and the blind hermit. Ten of the cast's 18 triple-threats are on the Elmwood stage for the first time in this production, and they make the absolute most of the opportunity, in service to a musical with a book by Brooks and Rockland's own Tom Meehan.

Each attacks their roles with gusto, and their voices are uniformly excellent. Music director Katie Luekens Chan Chee's seven-piece pit toils away to great effect in a backstage space that puts the "amped" in "cramped." The band doesn't overpower in the 99-seat theater; everything is in perfect balance. Janet Fenton's costumes help to whisk us away to Transylvania.

Acevedo, as Dr. Frankenstein, can sing for days and has comic chops to spare, ping-ponging from one loopy scene partner to another. Beck, as Igor, has a winning gleam in his eye and throws himself into the role with all his might, a great lesson in going all-in on a character. Likewise, the sweet-sounding Callahan makes the most of Inga, delivering a favorite line in pitch-perfect style: "Puuuut ze candle back!" Schleifer, pulling double duty, plays the over-the-top Kemp way over the top, as he should, and, as the hermit, stops the show with "Please Send Me Someone," a tour de force.

Miguel Acevedo, as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, has a roll in the hay with Grace Callahan, as Inga, while Tom Beck Jr., as Igor, points out local Transylvanian wildlife in Elmwood Playhouse's winning production of Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein." Photo courtesy Elmwood Playhouse.

There were so many show-stopping moments -- singers making the most of their moments in the spotlight: Callahan's "Roll in the Hay," Gnieski's "Deep Love," and Alexander's "He Vas My Boyfriend" among them.

"The Transylvania Mania" (led by Beck) and "Join the Family Business" (led by Lugo) fill the stage with the entire ensemble whirling about. The Elmwood audience is so close to the action that they'd easily notice a missed step or clammed note. There are none.

Summers' cast operates as one, as perfectly as the machine that brought The Monster (the excellent Mario Andres, in another Elmwood debut) to life, from switch one to switch two to ... the third switch.

If you know the Mel Brooks comedy, you know what to expect. If you don't, and you're lucky enough to score a ticket, you're in for a delightful ride.

While the Elmwood website -- www.elmwoodplayhouse.com -- says the run is sold out, I'm told it's worth a shot to show up anyway, in the hopes that one of the subscribers is a no-show. You now know what they'll be missing. Here's hoping you get to witness it for yourself.

To avoid missing out, there's still time to buy a 2024-25 Elmwood season subscription, to an impressive lineup of shows: "The Humans," Nov. 15 to Dec. 7; "Significant Other," Jan. 17 to Feb. 8; "POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive," March 14 to April 5; and "The Nance," May 15 to June 7.