Young Frankenstein at Liverpool Playhouse Review
Pete Gallagher as The Monster & Daniel Brocklebank as Dr Frederick Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein. Photo by Cian Ryan
Written by Roby for Theatre and Tonic
Young Frankenstein is a Mel Brooks musical that parodies the horror genre. Well, the only thing scary about this show is the fact that people found the entire thing genuinely funny. Unfortunately, this show just wasn’t for me; it felt dated, was very slow-paced, and I only found myself laughing a few times throughout.
The plot of the show spoofs the typical horror / Frankenstein genre. Dr Frederick Frankenstein travels to Transylvania and after meeting Igor, Inga and Frau Blucher, resumes his grandfather’s experiments in reanimating the dead. The show itself is slowly paced, and it is only at the end of Act 1 that Frankenstein finally comes to life.
The rest of the first half merely consists of dated humour and a few genuinely funny moments, that are then overplayed and drag on (for example, ‘Roll In The Hay’). Then, in typical classic musical theatre style, there is a short encore of some songs after they have finished, which further drag out both the show itself and its comedy. The only good thing about this dragged out, poorly paced first half is that it made the second half shorter.
Sophia Pardon’s set design is nice and accommodates the space well, but Matt Powell’s video design often misses. Projection is so overused nowadays, and Powell’s scene transitions look like they were edited on iMovie. As well as this, director Nick Winston’s choice to do scene changes behind a black cloth while scenes continue in front of it was simply amateur and looked poor. The rest of Winston’s direction, however, is good, and his choreography shines during ‘Transylvania Mania’ and ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’ – the two strongest numbers in the show. I love a tap number, and Puttin’ On The Ritz was well executed, even if a little out of time in places.
As well as the choreography, the musical direction by Francesca Warren is great. The band are a true standout of this performance, playing the entire score with ease. The vocal performances are also great – ‘Welcome to Transylvania’ is a vocal standout of the show, a well-executed a cappella moment. In terms of solo vocal moments, Amelia Adams’ performance of ‘Deep Love’ is a showstopper. Daniel Brocklebank handles the vocal challenges of Dr Frederick Frankenstein well but does tend to struggle with the dance numbers. Perhaps it was just first night jitters!
However, the standout performance of the night for me was Curtis Patrick as Igor - Curtis is a charming performer who handles the material well and excels in acting, singing and dancing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him – a genuinely brilliant performer.
One great thing about the Liverpool Playhouse, however, is it’s accessible under 25s tickets. I got my tickets for this performance for just £5, and these discounts have allowed me to see so many shows this year at an accessible price. Hats off to the Everyman and Playhouse Theatres for always making theatre so accessible for everyone.
The synopsis in the programme claims that Young Frankenstein is a “love letter to laughter”. Unfortunately for me, this letter must have got lost in the post. If you’re a Mel Brooks fan, you’ll have a good night out, but if you’re not of that time you’ll probably find yourself (like me) counting down how many musical numbers are left until the show finishes. Overall, I wish I could have enjoyed this show (especially because the cast all gave brilliant performances), but the humour fell flat and it was just not for me.
Plays at Liverpool Playhouse until 3 January 2026
★ ★
