Comparison Of Young Frankenstein By Mel Brooks And Thomas Meehan

The musical Young Frankenstein, by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan adds a comedic touch for the audience to experience, while trying to introduce some aspects of horror on the side. Through the elements of acting, costumes, scenery, sound, lighting, and directing/choreography, this musical was able to successfully portray itself as a comedy for the audience to enjoy and experience.
The use of lighting throughout the musical enhanced the play overall, as it helped to transition between different scenes and to amplify the visual effects during scenes. One of the scenes, for example, titled “Please Don’t Touch Me” highlighted the use of the followspot, which is used to highlight the main attention that one of the cast members is speaking or singing

The cast members seemed like they were part of the production themselves, which gave the audience a lifelike impression from them. Throughout the play I did not notice any obvious flaws that the cast members exhibited, which was really professional in my opinion and as a result, made the production more appealing to the audience. There was also breaking of the fourth wall, as demonstrated by Igor, where she asked one of the audience members if they have found a missing brain. During the Finale Ultimo, is where the cast members really broke the fourth wall, as they did a talent show with the main members of the cast, which involved the audience clapping at the end of each talent performed. It was during this scene where the main cast members brought out their tap dancing abilities, which was well received with a standing ovation at the end of the

The most obvious prop was the implementation of the two giant screens placed on the ends of the stage. During every scene the screens would consistently change their projection in order to give off the effect of a complete background for the audience to experience. For example, towards the end of Act One, where Igor, Frederick and Inga were in his Transylvania residence, the giant screens projected static images of castle walls in order for the audience to feel like they were almost in an actual castle. In order to meet the demands for constant stage changes, some scenery props would be outfitted with wheels in order to quickly and silently change scenes. Then there was the actual interaction with the props, such as during the scene “Join The Family Business”, where Frederick and Inga would interact with a moving bookshelf which gave the audience some more insight about Inga and Frederick. The interaction with props helped the audience believe the scenes were more realistic to a degree, despite being corny at