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cure, they're following a legend-
ary Broadway hit True, "The
New Mel Brooks Musical Young
Frankenstein" (as the full title
goes, opening Thursday at the
Hilton Theater, 214 \ l 42nd St )
is based on the classic 1974 comedy by
writer-director, and now theatrical hit-
meister, Brooks. And, yes, soy it: Expec-
tations and ticket prices are monstrous.
But Brooks, director/choreographer
Susan Stroman and their leading ladres
- Sutton Foster as Inga, frisky assistant
to Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Rog-
er Baft); Megan Mullally as the good
doctor's fianc6e; and Andrea Martin as
housekeeper Frau Blucher (cue horses)
- aren't feeling any high anxiery
"They're all very different women,"
says Stroman "AlI three are talented
and all tlrree can do it all l'hey can sing.
dance and are funny. ln Mel Brooks'
world, the key to successful casting is to
get people who are one-of-a-kind "
Surtton Foster: Unearthinq her inner vixen
o3q
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c"l'm underneath some hay in the wagon 1br about a min-
ute and a half before I pop up," says Foster "And then ev-
ery night I get to pel1om this fantastic number You rarely
get to yodel these days on Broadway."
YodelayJte-ho, indeed, As the delightfully lusty Inga,
Foster wears a blond wig and a nurse's uniform so shoft
those in the front rows may Deed Dr FranJrenstein's life-re-
viving equipment But don't expect Inga to attach the elec-
trodes herself - she's busy cavorting (and yodeling) in
"Roll in The Hay," a number that also requires her to shim-
my around a giant, rollicking cafi
"Oh, the layers of Inga, What does she want? Sex!" Inga
cefiainly doesn't get jealous when her lover's fiancd Eliza-
beth (Mutlally) shows up "InBa's European!" says Foster,
laughing "She's like, 'Oh, nice to meet you Wanna join?"'
Striving Broadway sexpots might be jealous of Foster,
32, if she wasn't so sweet - and talenLed Her storybook
car eer began by making her debut on the Great S/hite Way
next to her brother, Hunier Foster, in a revivai of "Grease "
(Huntel, coincidentallv is now in an unrelated, dramat-
ic musical version of "Frankenstein" off-Broadwav) Thatwas quickly followed by a classic big break; The Iead
dropped out of a new musical and Foster was pulled from
the chorus to star in "Thoroughly Modern lVlillie," winning
a Tony in 2002 for Best LeadingActress in a Musical (and
the love of her "Millie" co-star Christian Borle. now her
husband) She's since played Jo in "Little Women" and a
cafi-wheeling ingenue in "The Drowsy Chaperone "
Foster says she's loving the opportunity to be a Tran-
sylvanian sexpot, and isn't afraid of Teri Gan's Inga in
Brooks' 1974 movie - she's devoured it again and again
"lt's my favorite of his movies," says Foster "I saw it for
the first time a couple of years ago with a group of people
who knew every Iine I'LI watch certain sections to get little
r eminders You get inspired with little ideas and moments
"'Ihe film is so emblazoned in people's minds that we
have to honor it There's a reason why it worked "
And she loves the anlthing-goes spirit of Brooks and
Stronan, who each won Tonys for "The Producers " In
previews, she says, "Chris Fitzgerald, as lgor, had an idea
tbr one of his entrances, to hang upside down Next thing I
know, they actually built something for him to hang from "
il 'i X r" I
tt .1, I .
P(r)
o
2ID
zo{
ir" Mggan Mullally:
Her, ngr, ner, ner!
Mullally - fomerly the martini-swili-
ing, sntrky Karen Walker on TV's "Will &
Grace" - feels almost guilty about her big
numbers as Elizabeth in "Young Franken-
stein " ln the role played by Madeline Kahn
in the movie, Mullally has grand entrances
in fabulous gowns (or hilarious fright wigs),
dives into the comic numbers "Please Don't
Touch Me," "Surprise" (in which she comes
on stage trilling, "lt's me, me, me, me!") and
"Deep Love," in which she professes her
devotion to the Monster, played by Shul-
er Hensley - and then walks off with flair,
clacking her heels with every step
"l just swan around, and then go back to
my dressing room and buy things online,"
jokes Mullally. "I feel like I'm getting away
with something, because it's so fun "
"l was dling to come to New York and do
a musical," she says "It's the most fun on
and offstage because it's so silly. This was
the best possible job I could have gotten "
Mullally's co-stars say they were a bit
nervous about meeting Brooks, but not hen
"Mel and I have a groovy kind of love,"
says Mullatly,48 "We have a good banter-
ing relationship I always tell him he's a fim
second position tbr my affections if some-
thing should falt through with my husband
"I wasn't intimidated by him at all I don't
get intimidated that easily an;more." Of
course, that wtr before rehearsals.
"The f,rst day we sat around a table to do
a read-through And Mel was being really
hard on two guys in the ensemble and being
reqlly specific with them and giving notes
Andrea Martin was sitting next to me. and
my scene was the next [coming upl She
Mote a note to me sayi ng: 'It's been nice
knowing you.' Then we became hysterical "
Like everyone else, Mullallv was a huge
fan of the film version, even though she
hadn't seen it in vears She doesn't dive into
it again and again like Foster does, but she
doesn't avoid it like Martin And once, she
couldn't have missed it if she tried
"l got the call to audition and the next day
flew tl om Los Angeles to New York, and in
first class, they give you a little DVD player
- and 'Young Frankenstein' was one of the
movies How weird is that?"
So, that was a good sign? Mullally laughs,
"Or a slap in the /dcc!" she says
"4 Andrea Martin:
What a Blucher
Usually, actors audition and campaign for a role
With the famously indecisive Andrea Martin, it's often
the other way around
"Stro ldirector Susan Stroman] called me and said,
'Don't speak lor 10 minutes,"' says Martin "And then
she told me about the show and the role of Frau Bluch
er and why she wanted me to do it Finally, I said, 'Can
I speak yet?"'
A key member of the legendary Second City TV
troupe in the late '70s and early '80s, Martin admitsthat she has hemmed and hawed a bit about taking
on roles in "Candide," "Fiddler on the Roof "and "The
Rose Tattoo,".among other productions On open-
ing night of an Encoresl performance of "Out of this
Wortd," she told her director she absolutely, positively
couldn't go on stage.
As with all those shows, she could and did
Once she commits, Martin, 60, is all in It has paid
otf, too: She had the opportunity to do dramatic turns
in "Oklahoma" and "Rose Tattoo," won a Tony for "My
Favorite Year" and garnered nominations aplenty- Her
take on Frau Blucher - a housekeeper so fiercesome
that every time her name is mentioned ("BIucher!')
horses rear up and neigh in dismay - is tlpically com-
mitted She says she has avoided watching the movieversion again, and Cloris Leachman's iconic Blucher
"I'n very impressionable," says Martin
For inspiration, the actress instead has a still from
Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 classic "Rebecca," which fea-
tures Judith Anderson as Mrs Danvers, an equally
creepy, intimidating housekeeper But Mrs Danvers
certainly didn't break into a gooty Marlene Dietrich-
ish musical number like "He Vas My Boy.friend," in
which the Transylvanian Blucher recounts her passion
for young Frmkenstein's grandfather,
"I'm just glad that song comes early in the show,"
confesses Martin
"If I had to spend the entire evening knowing that
flater] I was going to be doing that number, I couldn't
think of anlthing else " OIo
P
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oo
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=
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@
c
f
o
o
zo
l
o
Noo{
d
=o i12
oz
fo
E
oc
o
cure, they're following a legend-
ary Broadway hit True, "The
New Mel Brooks Musical Young
Frankenstein" (as the full title
goes, opening Thursday at the
Hilton Theater, 214 \ l 42nd St )
is based on the classic 1974 comedy by
writer-director, and now theatrical hit-
meister, Brooks. And, yes, soy it: Expec-
tations and ticket prices are monstrous.
But Brooks, director/choreographer
Susan Stroman and their leading ladres
- Sutton Foster as Inga, frisky assistant
to Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Rog-
er Baft); Megan Mullally as the good
doctor's fianc6e; and Andrea Martin as
housekeeper Frau Blucher (cue horses)
- aren't feeling any high anxiery
"They're all very different women,"
says Stroman "AlI three are talented
and all tlrree can do it all l'hey can sing.
dance and are funny. ln Mel Brooks'
world, the key to successful casting is to
get people who are one-of-a-kind "
Surtton Foster: Unearthinq her inner vixen
o3q
z
=
r
oo
N
!
E
o
c"l'm underneath some hay in the wagon 1br about a min-
ute and a half before I pop up," says Foster "And then ev-
ery night I get to pel1om this fantastic number You rarely
get to yodel these days on Broadway."
YodelayJte-ho, indeed, As the delightfully lusty Inga,
Foster wears a blond wig and a nurse's uniform so shoft
those in the front rows may Deed Dr FranJrenstein's life-re-
viving equipment But don't expect Inga to attach the elec-
trodes herself - she's busy cavorting (and yodeling) in
"Roll in The Hay," a number that also requires her to shim-
my around a giant, rollicking cafi
"Oh, the layers of Inga, What does she want? Sex!" Inga
cefiainly doesn't get jealous when her lover's fiancd Eliza-
beth (Mutlally) shows up "InBa's European!" says Foster,
laughing "She's like, 'Oh, nice to meet you Wanna join?"'
Striving Broadway sexpots might be jealous of Foster,
32, if she wasn't so sweet - and talenLed Her storybook
car eer began by making her debut on the Great S/hite Way
next to her brother, Hunier Foster, in a revivai of "Grease "
(Huntel, coincidentallv is now in an unrelated, dramat-
ic musical version of "Frankenstein" off-Broadwav) Thatwas quickly followed by a classic big break; The Iead
dropped out of a new musical and Foster was pulled from
the chorus to star in "Thoroughly Modern lVlillie," winning
a Tony in 2002 for Best LeadingActress in a Musical (and
the love of her "Millie" co-star Christian Borle. now her
husband) She's since played Jo in "Little Women" and a
cafi-wheeling ingenue in "The Drowsy Chaperone "
Foster says she's loving the opportunity to be a Tran-
sylvanian sexpot, and isn't afraid of Teri Gan's Inga in
Brooks' 1974 movie - she's devoured it again and again
"lt's my favorite of his movies," says Foster "I saw it for
the first time a couple of years ago with a group of people
who knew every Iine I'LI watch certain sections to get little
r eminders You get inspired with little ideas and moments
"'Ihe film is so emblazoned in people's minds that we
have to honor it There's a reason why it worked "
And she loves the anlthing-goes spirit of Brooks and
Stronan, who each won Tonys for "The Producers " In
previews, she says, "Chris Fitzgerald, as lgor, had an idea
tbr one of his entrances, to hang upside down Next thing I
know, they actually built something for him to hang from "
il 'i X r" I
tt .1, I .
P(r)
o
2ID
zo{
ir" Mggan Mullally:
Her, ngr, ner, ner!
Mullally - fomerly the martini-swili-
ing, sntrky Karen Walker on TV's "Will &
Grace" - feels almost guilty about her big
numbers as Elizabeth in "Young Franken-
stein " ln the role played by Madeline Kahn
in the movie, Mullally has grand entrances
in fabulous gowns (or hilarious fright wigs),
dives into the comic numbers "Please Don't
Touch Me," "Surprise" (in which she comes
on stage trilling, "lt's me, me, me, me!") and
"Deep Love," in which she professes her
devotion to the Monster, played by Shul-
er Hensley - and then walks off with flair,
clacking her heels with every step
"l just swan around, and then go back to
my dressing room and buy things online,"
jokes Mullally. "I feel like I'm getting away
with something, because it's so fun "
"l was dling to come to New York and do
a musical," she says "It's the most fun on
and offstage because it's so silly. This was
the best possible job I could have gotten "
Mullally's co-stars say they were a bit
nervous about meeting Brooks, but not hen
"Mel and I have a groovy kind of love,"
says Mullatly,48 "We have a good banter-
ing relationship I always tell him he's a fim
second position tbr my affections if some-
thing should falt through with my husband
"I wasn't intimidated by him at all I don't
get intimidated that easily an;more." Of
course, that wtr before rehearsals.
"The f,rst day we sat around a table to do
a read-through And Mel was being really
hard on two guys in the ensemble and being
reqlly specific with them and giving notes
Andrea Martin was sitting next to me. and
my scene was the next [coming upl She
Mote a note to me sayi ng: 'It's been nice
knowing you.' Then we became hysterical "
Like everyone else, Mullallv was a huge
fan of the film version, even though she
hadn't seen it in vears She doesn't dive into
it again and again like Foster does, but she
doesn't avoid it like Martin And once, she
couldn't have missed it if she tried
"l got the call to audition and the next day
flew tl om Los Angeles to New York, and in
first class, they give you a little DVD player
- and 'Young Frankenstein' was one of the
movies How weird is that?"
So, that was a good sign? Mullally laughs,
"Or a slap in the /dcc!" she says
"4 Andrea Martin:
What a Blucher
Usually, actors audition and campaign for a role
With the famously indecisive Andrea Martin, it's often
the other way around
"Stro ldirector Susan Stroman] called me and said,
'Don't speak lor 10 minutes,"' says Martin "And then
she told me about the show and the role of Frau Bluch
er and why she wanted me to do it Finally, I said, 'Can
I speak yet?"'
A key member of the legendary Second City TV
troupe in the late '70s and early '80s, Martin admitsthat she has hemmed and hawed a bit about taking
on roles in "Candide," "Fiddler on the Roof "and "The
Rose Tattoo,".among other productions On open-
ing night of an Encoresl performance of "Out of this
Wortd," she told her director she absolutely, positively
couldn't go on stage.
As with all those shows, she could and did
Once she commits, Martin, 60, is all in It has paid
otf, too: She had the opportunity to do dramatic turns
in "Oklahoma" and "Rose Tattoo," won a Tony for "My
Favorite Year" and garnered nominations aplenty- Her
take on Frau Blucher - a housekeeper so fiercesome
that every time her name is mentioned ("BIucher!')
horses rear up and neigh in dismay - is tlpically com-
mitted She says she has avoided watching the movieversion again, and Cloris Leachman's iconic Blucher
"I'n very impressionable," says Martin
For inspiration, the actress instead has a still from
Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 classic "Rebecca," which fea-
tures Judith Anderson as Mrs Danvers, an equally
creepy, intimidating housekeeper But Mrs Danvers
certainly didn't break into a gooty Marlene Dietrich-
ish musical number like "He Vas My Boy.friend," in
which the Transylvanian Blucher recounts her passion
for young Frmkenstein's grandfather,
"I'm just glad that song comes early in the show,"
confesses Martin
"If I had to spend the entire evening knowing that
flater] I was going to be doing that number, I couldn't
think of anlthing else " OIo
P
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=
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