******SPOOKY SPOILERS!******

In the span of a month, my wife and I have gone to see comedian Paula Poundstone, comedian/world class art-collector Cheech Marin, and, as of this weekend, director/writer/comedy legend Mel Brooks’ 2007 musical adaptation of his own 1974 horror-comedy film “Young Frankenstein”; all at the modern, comfortable Lewis Family Playhouse. The Inland Empire-based theater is quickly becoming a favorite venue of ours. Its intimate auditorium is much smaller than, say, the Pantages in L.A., but it’s very cozy and within easier reach, located behind the Victoria Gardens outdoor mall in the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California; an area that once famously contained sprawling vineyards. Offering much easier access than theaters in Los Angeles, the Lewis Family Playhouse has been stepping up its game with terrific plays, musical acts, comedians, and lower-priced tickets that make it a hidden treasure trove of pop entertainment and culture.

As a childhood lover of monster movies, I first remember reading about the original 1974 film of “Young Frankenstein” in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine when I was all of eight years old. However, I was far too young to appreciate the wonderfully bawdy horror-comedy, which starred Gene Wilder (1933-2016), Teri Garr (1944-2024), Madeline Kahn (1942-1999), Marty Feldman (1934-1982) and Peter Boyle (1935-2006). I’d finally see the movie in a rare uncut broadcast from a local TV station, and I loved it immediately. I no longer list numeric rankings of favorites movies, but “Young Frankenstein” is one of perhaps five comedies I’d want in my possession if I were stranded on a desert island with a portable DVD player that ran on coconut juice.

The plot of “Young Frankenstein” is a loose comedy remake of the classic Universal monster sequel, “Son of Frankenstein” (1939) which starred Basil Rathbone as heir to the Frankenstein legacy, returning to reclaim his ancestral castle… and to revive his late father’s surviving creature. That film marked the last time actor Boris Karloff would appear as Frankenstein’s Monster in the Universal monster movie canon. Despite the broad and wicked satire of “Young Frankenstein,” there is an argument to be made for its inclusion into the Universal monster canon. Though it was released by 20th Century Fox, the movie is shot in silvery black-and-white with an authentic look of 1930s period films. It even uses the same Tesla coils and other lab equipment used in the original “Frankenstein” movies some 40 years earlier (found safely stored in the Santa Monica garage of original designer, Kenneth Strickfaden). Over the decades, my wife has also become a fan of “Young Frankenstein,” and even does a startlingly good imitation of Peter Boyle’s “Puttin’ on the ritz” line delivery.

Some 32 years after the premiere of “Young Frankenstein,” Mel Brooks reimagined his comedy classic film as a live musical, which premiered in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre in August of 2006, before arriving on Broadway shortly after. The playbook is credited to Brooks and Thomas Meehan (1929-2017), who wrote the playbooks for “Annie” and the 2001 musical adaptation of Brooks’ 1967 satire, “The Producers” (the musical of which was eventually released as its own film in 2005).

Mel Brooks is credited with writing lyrics and music for the new songs in the 2006 musical version of “Young Frankenstein.” In addition to an expanded version of Irving Berlin’s original “Puttin’ on the Ritz” duet-dance number, more recent songs include “The Happiest Town,” “The Brain,” “Please Don’t Touch Me,” “Together Again,” “Roll in Ze Hay,” “Join the Family Business,” “He Vas My Boyfriend,” “The Law,” “Life, Life,” “Welcome to Transylvania,” “He’s Loose,” “Listen to Your Heart,” “Surprise,” “Please Send Me Someone,” “Man About Town,” “Deep Love,” “Frederick’s Soliloquy,” and a brief song-and-dance number for the entire cast, following a curtain call. Each of the songs give the characters their spotlights, with a greater emphasis on some of the Transylvanian villagers, who now get several colorful song-and-dance numbers. I particularly enjoyed actor Tyler Scott Jenkins as the Village Idiot…

Directed by Frank Minano and choreographed by Anthony Tuason, the Inland Valley Repertory Theatre company employs all the current tricks of modern theatrical production; including generous use of fog machines, synchronized lighting/strobe effects, digitally-projected scenic backdrops, and wireless mics for all key players. Off to the sides of the stage, the left and right wings were shrouded in cobwebs and dressed as the library and main castle entrance, respectively. Since the wings remained visible before the show and between acts, a few people–myself included–rose to take a few closeup photos. As a former high school drama nerd and occasional dabbler in community theater, I couldn’t resist…

For this production, the orchestra pit of the small theater (usually closed and covered with chairs) was uncovered to make room for a 13-piece orchestra, conducted by Ronda Rubio. The music was seamlessly executed and synched with the choreography. I had to remind myself that this was a community theater production–a far cry from anything I’d experienced during my few times doing local plays in the 1980s. This is the kind of theatrical quality I’d expect from the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, or even from the Pantages in Hollywood. The Lewis Family Playhouse offers a stunning entertainment value for the admission price.

There are many little surprises, easter eggs, and additions to the “Young Frankenstein” story that cleverly expand upon the original movie, as seen with the character of Frau Blücher (Debbie Prutsman), who now generates bi-curious stirrings in Elizabeth (Kylie Molnar), the frigid fiancée of Frederick Frankenstein (John Shartzer). There’s also a colorful dream sequence where the tormented Frederick has a “Fiddler on the Roof”-style nacht-mare of his monster-making late grandfather Victor (Steven Didrick), who is also the subject of Frau Blücher’s solo torch song (“He Vas My Boyfriend!”). We also see an unexpected happy ending for Blücher and the lonely, espresso-loving blind hermit (Jackson Marcy), originally played by Gene Hackman. All of these embellishments to the original story smartly fit within its previously unexplored corners.

Speaking of the characters, I admired the choices made by this colorful cast. Marcel Almirantearena goes nowhere near the late Marty Feldman’s wall-eyed ‘Eye-gor,’ and plays the humpbacked lab monkey more like a young, mid-Atlantic Dom DeLuise (another Mel Brooks collaborator). Same goes to Patrick McMahon’s Monster; a sweet innocent right out of the box, who adds a Fred Flinstone-like punch to his enunciation of “Puttin’ on the Ritz!” Cassidy Rae Love shines as Inga, Frederick’s assistant who “assists his brains out.” And, of course, I greatly appreciated lead actor John Shartzer’s very different take on Frederick; tackling the role more like an “Ed Wood”-era Johnny Depp instead of the late Gene Wilder. The wisest decision made by this talented troupe was to reimagine these roles for themselves, instead of emulating the legends who preceded them. As they are, this cast generates great energy and a unique chemistry all their own.

As a longtime fan of the movie, one of the giddy joys with seeing “Young Frankenstein” live was the audience anticipation that hung in the air for several seconds before the delivery of certain classic lines from the movie (“What hump?” “He vas my boyfriend!” “Puttin’ on the ritz!”). Needless to say, the actors’ fresh takes on those old favorites did not disappoint.

For fans of Mel Brooks and his 1974 classic horror-comedy, Mel Brooks’ musical of “Young Frankenstein” makes for an irresistible Halloween treat.

“If you’re blue and you don’t know where to go to…”

Any readers living in or near Southern California’s Inland Empire area might want to hurry and book tickets for “Young Frankenstein” as quickly as possible, since this production only runs through October 26th. If that’s not feasible, I hope readers can catch a touring production of this play if it comes to a city near them. “Young Frankenstein” runs only through October 26th, with tickets starting at $40 and up. Tickets for all upcoming events at the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga, California can he booked here: Ticket Center, Lewis Family Playhouse.

I’ve also seen original cast recording CDs of “Young Frankenstein” available via Amazon, which might be an alternate way to experience this musical, short of a streaming or DVD/Blu-ray release.