La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

The mad experiment of bringing Mel Brooke’s “Young Frankenstein” to life is a great success at Anacortes Community Theatre. Using wires, electricity and make up, the production brilliantly recreates Marty Feldman’s Igor (channeled by Tim Brown) and Gene Wilder’s Frederick Frankenstein (Stu Marshall, clone).

This live version of the 1974 movie is much bawdier: both the script and the castle’s door knockers are explicitly sexual. “Deep Love,” sung by Elisabeth (broadly played and well sung by Eva Nelson) and the Monster (the hugely successful August Wolff-Storey) is not for kids. This is an R rated musical. It is also Catskills, Borscht Belt humor.

The audience loved it, laughing and clapping to the show’s 22 songs well sung and danced to by the mostly ensemble cast. Expert in their leading roles were Rebecca Launius-Brown (Inga; she is also the choreographer) and Eowyn Da Silva (Frau Blucher, she who makes horses of the nearby stables neigh; you will hear)

Frankenstein and The Monster, in tuxedos, top hats and canes, put on what deserved to be a show stopping performance of “Putting in the Ritz.” They were joined by Igor and Inga and five female dancers in fishnet stockings, black shorts, red bow ties and sparkling fedoras. Everyone tapped danced to perfection. Brown stole this, as he did most, scenes.

Kudos to director Mike Jenkins, choreographer Launius Brown, costume designer Deb Storey, musical director Tim Brown, and conductor Ruth Backlund. The band: Garrett Kennedy, Keyboards, Lydia Randall, violin, Jacob Erikson, trumpet, Monica Kidder, bass, Noah Masten, percussion and Backlund, piano.

The set ranged from the empty stage in front of the curtain to a village street to rooms, including a laboratory, complete with winding stairs and wires and flashing lights and a wall panel of three switches. The set designer and crew completed a labor of love.

The play is only possible because of Mel Brookes and Gene Wilder’s screen story and screenplay, which became the 1974 film. It received Oscar nominations for best writing, and screenplay adapted from other material. Book is by Brooks and Thomas Meehan; music and lyrics are by Brooks.

“Young Frankenstein” plays Thurs. - Sun. through October 21. For times, tickets, and directions, call 360-293-6829.