With Halloween around the corner, something kept stirring in my mind, and this proved to be the time of year to unveil it.
One of the more fitting creatures of literature to have a lengthy comic book history is the Frankenstein Monster. Equally-lengthy is its silver screen history, with more film and tv adaptations of the tale than you can count. One of the most famous of these is also considered one of the greatest films ever made (and probably Mel Brooks' greatest), 1974's Young Frankenstein. Like his film The Producers, years later it too was given the Broadway musical treatment, a production I myself have attended and enjoyed greatly.
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Now, the musical Producers was given the film treatment in 2005, so I figured, why not Young Frankenstein too? But then it hit me--a production like that would be great for prime time, as a TV special. We've seen a recent surge in TV musicals, so I started coming up with an appropriate cast to bring the musical funny to the small screen. Before I get to such a cast, a few production notes:
-Some of the folks involved with the stage musical's production would be involved with this one, such as Thomas Meehan, Susan Stroman, and of course, Mel Brooks himself.
-The special would air on one big network (in this case, ABC) and one streaming service (Netflix). It'd be a first.
-And of course, such a hypothetical production would have to air in October, at least close to Halloween.
With that out of the way, let's meet our cast, some of whom you might find surprising (and hopefully have decent singing voices too).
*Soon as I figure out the newfangled photo embedding system here, I'll update with more pics.*
+Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham) as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein ("That's Fronkensteen.")
Watching Taylor's performance as Penguin, I can't help but be reminded of the late, great Gene Wilder, and feel he'd be a worthy successor to the role, as well as following Roger Bart's memorable take on stage.
+Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory, Florence Foster Jenkins) as Igor (Eye-gor?)
The guy has terrific comic timing and a pretty decent singing voice, so if there was anyone fit enough to follow in the footsteps of Marty Feldman and Christopher Fitzgerald/Cory English, it's him.
+Mallory Jansen (Galavant, Agents of SHIELD) as Inga
It was mostly her work on the former that really inspired this pick--lovely singing voice, decent comic timing, and gorgeous to boot. A good successor to Teri Garr and Sutton Foster's takes on the character.
+Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones) as the Monster
His portrayal of gentle giant Hodor is what made me think of him filling the (big) shoes of Peter Boyle and Shuler Hensley. And having been on a really dramatic and tragic show like Thrones, it might be a good change of pace for him--just think how funny he'd be during the 'Puttin' on the Ritz' number.
+Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter, Conviction) as Elizabeth
Like Nairn, having seen Atwell's characters undergo a lot of drama in their fictional lives makes the case for a change of pace, and we got a taste of how she'd fare in a musical setting (thanks to that musical number from Agent Carter season 2). I think it'd be fun to see her as a tightly-wound socialite, plus she even bears a slight resemblance to Madeline Kahn.
+Jane Curtin as Frau Blucher
https://youtu.be/e5IWHt4OoNk
The lady's a comedy legend, having been one of the original seven 'Not Ready for Prime Time Players" that formed the core of Saturday Night Live's cast. She'd be a fine fit for the role originated by Cloris Leachman (and nicely interpreted by Andrea Martin).
+Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, and Ted) as Inspector Kemp
The creator of Family Guy and writer/director/producer/star of both Ted films for me was a no-brainer. His sense of comic timing and schtick, plus the great singing voice he brings out whenever he does standards, makes him perfectly qualified to don the wooden arm once sported by Kenneth Mars.
+Kevin Spacey as Harold the blind hermit
Gene Hackman originated the role, and I wanted to use an actor of similar caliber and talent. Spacey was my immediate pick, considering he'd think it a fun cameo. (Hackman even thought the same thing back then!)
And there ya have it, folks! As mentioned before, once I figure out the newfangled photo embedding system here, I'll update with more pics.
Happy Halloween! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!
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