La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts has announced full casting for the West Coast premiere of the revised iteration of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. Using the alterations made for the 2017 West End revival, the production will preview September 16, open September 17, and will run through October 9.
The production will feature Sally Struthers as Frau Blücher, A.J. Holmes as Frederick Frankenstein, Sarah Wolter as Elizabeth, Trent Mills as The Monster, Maggie Ek as Inga, Wesley Slade as Igor, and Joe Hart as Inspector Kemp & The Hermit. Additional company members include Lexi Cross, Isabella De Souza Moore, Carl Draper, Cheyenne Green, Colby Hamann, Grant Hodges, Missy Marion, Ryan Perry Marks, Elle May Patterson, Austin Schulte, and Rodrigo Varandas.
The production will feature several encore performances, with Struthers having starred in the musical at Maine's Ogunquit Playhouse, and Holmes in a 2011 non-union tour.
Featuring a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, the production features a recreation of the original direction and choreography by Susan Stroman, as facilitated by James Gray and Jeff Whiting, who previously brought new life into the show for the Ogunquit Playhouse. The production will also feature music direction and conducting by Benet Braun.
Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan’s musical based on the 1974 film classic opened at Broadway's Hilton Theatre (now the Lyric, home to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) November 8, 2007. Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, the original production starred Roger Bart as Dr. Frankenstein, Megan Mullally as the doctor's love interest Elizabeth, Sutton Foster as assistant Inga, Shuler Hensley as The Monster, Andrea Martin as castle matron Frau Blucher, and Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor. The show ran for 485 performances.
In 2017, Stroman and Brooks, along with co-writer Thomas Meehan, reworked the show for a new London production, which included new dialogue and lyrics. Some songs from the original were cut, and two new numbers were added.
