The Broadway spotlight is back in the Panhandle as Mel Brooks’ musical comedy “Young Frankenstein: The Musical” hits the Amarillo Civic Center stage Nov. 16.
“Young Frankenstein: The Musical” is the Civic Center’s first Broadway show of a four-show season, coming to Amarillo through Celebrity Attractions in Tulsa, Okla.
“This is the start of a very, very good four-show season for us,” Michael Thero, marketing administrator of the Amarillo Civic Center, said.
From the writer of comedy classics such as Blazing Saddles and The Producers, Mel Brooks brings the story of Frankenstein to a comedic level. It follows the work of a young scientist, Dr. Frankenstein, and his attempts to bring a corpse back to life. However, after his assistant Igor chooses the wrong brain for the corpse, Dr. Frankenstein’s success does not come without frightening and comedic consequences, according to Randy Cole, marketing director for Celebrity Attractions.“When they give the monster a brain he becomes a little wild,” Cole said. “Comic mayhem ensues.”
The musical is an onstage adaption of Brooks’ original classic film “Young Frankenstein.” It follows the same plot as the original movie, but this time, set to songs that Mel Brooks wrote himself.
“You can expect really goofy songs,” Cole said. “‘The Happiest Town in Town’ is a song that’s almost so lame it’s funny. It’s just a parody of Broadway musicals.”
Despite comedic songs and plot twists, preparations for the show is an entirely separate story as time for set up is balanced between set ups for the Rodeo and the Farm and Ranch shows, which are also taking place at the Civic Center.
“The Frankenstein production is going to fit right in between there because both of those bookending events are all fighting for the same space,” Thero said.
It might be a tight squeeze, but piecing together multiple events at once is a normal occurrence for employees at the Civic Center, and a skill they have down pat.
“It makes things interesting, but we won’t miss a beat,” Thero said.
Though “Young Frankenstein” is the Civic Center’s first show of the season, they are confident it will start the Broadway Spotlight Series off right.
“It’s high energy and fun,” Sherman Bass, manager of the Civic Center, said. “Traditional folks will like it because it’s a full scale musical and non-traditional folks will like it because of Mel Brooks.”
