Savannah Cabaret wants you to 'walk this way to 'Young Frankenstein'

Walking up the narrow stairs to the second-floor Bay Street Theatre space at Club One, I hear excited chatter and the dull squeak of chairs scooting across the floor. Gathered around a long table for the first official read-through is the cast of Savannah Cabaret’s upcoming production of “Young Frankenstein.”

Everyone is there: Trey Norris as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, Gwen Leahy as Elizabeth, Travis Harold Coles as Igor, Nicole Borysowicz as Elizabeth, and Justin Kent as Frau Blucher among a handful of other familiar faces from the cabaret company founded in 2021 by Rick Garman. Garman’s voice echoes across the room to let everyone know that the table read is about to begin.

There is a tangible excitement among the cast and crew. Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” is an ambitious addition to the Cabaret's typical shows. Past productions like “Time Traveling Drag Queens” and the annual murder mystery show are original scripts with popular songs mixed in.

“We started this cabaret with people standing in front of a mic and singing, and then we evolved to doing these mini-musicals that we've been doing for the last couple of years,” said Garman. “We felt like a real book musical was the next step in our evolution. When I looked around, this is the one that jumped out at me. I floated it to the other people in the company, and everybody was like, yes, we have to do that.”

'The biggest cast we've ever had'

Many are familiar with the 1974 film “Young Frankenstein” starring Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, and Peter Boyle, but they may not be aware of the Broadway musical. The success of Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” as a Broadway musical inspired this version of “Young Frankenstein.” It opened in late 2007 with a stellar cast including Sutton Foster, Megan Mullally, Roger Bart, and Christopher Fitzgerald. Despite seemingly having all the right ingredients, audiences weren't quite ready for it.

“It’s a criminally underrated musical. It never got the attention that I think it really deserves.”

Of course, Garman said, you don't have to be familiar with the movie or musical to enjoy the show. “If you know the Frankenstein story, that's all you need to know. Victor Frankenstein created a monster. You're going to meet his grandson and see what happens when he comes to town in a big, silly comedy with lots of great music.”

Now Garman and his cast are hoping the eccentric musical resonates with the equally eccentric audience that Savannah Cabaret has cultivated over the last few years. It’s a daunting but not impossible task for a company that usually only rehearses for 10 days.

“We put them together in about a week and a half. It's all very quick, with relatively small budgets. We try to keep them small, and we run them for one weekend. This one, we've been planning since October, and it's enormous. It’s the biggest cast we've ever had. We’re doing 12 performances, so it's a huge undertaking.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Savannah Cabaret production without some aspect of the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mentality. Since the initial table reading, Norris stepped down from the part of Dr. Frankenstein due to unforeseen circumstances and was replaced by Kevin Hincapie who had to learn the entire main role in 10 days.

“We could have picked some musical that doesn't have 19 different sets and 14 people in the cast. There are a bunch of musicals that would have been a lot easier to do, but I don't think they would have been as much fun as this one is. As much as I love musicals, this is one that you don't see often. It’s different and unique, and I think it really speaks to who we want the Savannah Cabaret to be.”

For those who first fell in love with Savannah Cabaret’s original productions, don't worry. Garman assures they aren't leaving those behind. Rather, “Young Frankenstein” marks the beginning of how Savannah Cabaret will be opening each spring if audiences like it.

“The plan for this year is sort of what I'd like the blueprint to be moving forward, which is we kick off the season sometime in the spring with a big book musical that everybody knows and loves, and then we do three or four more shows through the year that are what our audiences have come to love about us.”

For 2024, that means the return of “Time Traveling Drag Queens” with a trip to the 1960s in June, another murder mystery show in August, and a sequel to last year’s “Christmas in Mistletoe Falls.” There’s also a possibility for regular cabaret shows to return as well.

Last year, Savannah Cabaret started having an interactive cocktail hour ahead of shows with each having a theme matching the show. “Young Frankenstein” is no different, but there will be a new aspect to it.

“We’re doing the Monster Mash pre-show, which is going to be a pop-up museum… celebrating the career of Mel Brooks and the 50th anniversary of the movie. We're going to have museum-style displays around the theater. We’re going to have posters and photos and memorabilia.”

A screen on the stage will also be showing clips from Mel Brooks’ movies as audience members sip on one of the monster-themed cocktails created for the show and walk around taking photos at selfie stations.

Guests can also bid on a different item in a silent auction each night of the production. Some of the items include six copies of a coffee table book about the making of the film signed by Mel Brooks, a copy of the musical’s score autographed by Megan Mullally, a Broadway playbill signed by Sutton Foster, and a rare lobby card from the film. All the proceeds from the auction will be going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

“Young Frankenstein” runs from April 18th to May 5th. Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased at SavannahCabaret.com. It is important to note that the theater is a 21-and-up venue and is only accessible by stairs.

“[Young Frankenstein] is laugh-out-loud funny. The music is fantastic. If you're at all familiar with the movie, you will recognize a lot of the classic gags and lines and setups that are in there.”

If You Go >>

What: Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein”

When: April 18-May 5

Where: Bay Street Theatre at Club One, 1 Jefferson St.

Tickets: $29-$49

Info: SavannahCabaret.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Cabaret wants you to 'walk this way to 'Young Frankenstein'