REVIEW - Young Frankenstein is ALIVE!!! This new creation has been given LIFE!!!

On Wednesday, we were invited to Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester to see Young Frankenstein The Musical. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this hilarious Mel Brook's classic brought to life on stage...

Where oh where do you start writing a review for a show that makes every single second a moment of pure magic?  From the opening credits that pay homage to the Young Frankenstein film, flickering away in their black and white glory, to the end credits that I implore you to stay for as they refuse to let the laughter fizzle out, Hope Mill Theatre’s 10^th Anniversary Production is a stunning showbiz spectacle that knows how to celebrate!  Simply put – “It’s alive!  It’s alive”!  I was lucky enough to watch Young Frankenstein in the West End in 2017 with some very dear friends, and it has infiltrated our world ever since.  Bad days immediately require texts and GIF’s being pinged back and forth between us, with the odd word or phrase such as ‘Fronkensteen’, ‘Eye-gore’, and ‘puddiinnonnnndaaarrriiiddddzzzz’, and our spirits are lifted, our hearts full, and our jaws aching from laughter at such precious memories.  Therefore, I was ridiculously excited when Hope Mill Theatre announced their production of Young Frankenstein, and my friend immediately booked her train ticket all the way from Bristol especially to come and see the show!  With a wonderful cast and creative team surrounding this production, and of course, the celebrated Hope Mill Theatre, all the stars (and lightning bolts) have aligned with this one and I will spill my verdict right now – A 5 star Franktastic show!  DO NOT MISS AT ANY COST! 

The original Young Frankenstein is the brainchild of the exquisitely paired Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder, pulling us into the world of Frederick Frankenstein, or Fronkensteen as he likes to be known.  The stage musical has book, music, and lyrics by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and it is phenomenal.  Frederick is living an unassuming life as a lecturer of physics, doing everything he can to distance himself from the family shame of his Grandfather Victor Frankenstein (hence the differential pronunciation of his name.)  But when Victor dies, Frederick inherits his castle and all that comes with it, and he finds himself in Transylvania trying to tie up a few loose ends.  He is greeted by the castle’s inhabitants, Eye-Gore (a descendant of Igor), the dark and twisty housekeeper Frau Blücher, and Inga the flirty lab assistant.  As curiosity gets the better of Frederick, he accidentally on purpose ignites the continuation of Victor’s work and The Monster is born.  But the wrong brain is implanted, and chaos ensues as The Monster escapes.  What follows is a hilarious riot of consequence, love, the fine line between good and evil, and the challenge of trying to tame and face the potential monster that lives in each and every one of us.

Heading up this insanely talented cast is Ore Oduba (Chitty Bang Bang, Rocky Horror, Curtains) as Frankenstein.  From his opening number of ‘The Brain’ – which holds hilarious parody moments to ‘There Is Nothing Like A Dame’ (insert ‘brain’ instead of ‘Dame’), we are beholden to his charisma, powerful voice, dancing eyebrows, and comedic timing.  He establishes Young Frankenstein as a force to be reckoned with and has us hooked within a nanosecond. Ore Oduba has perfectly captured the entire essence of this show, delivering a hammed-up parody of the black and white horror movies that dominated the 1930’s with a wonderfully crafted performance.  He is beautifully larger than life and navigates his way through ridiculously difficult tongue twisting lyrics with impressively clear diction, before ringing out his glorious vibrato and giving us all goosebumps!  And Strictly fans will be bouncing with joy as we once again see him donned in top hat and tails, serving us Hollywood glamour in the dance section of ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’.  I have to pause and congratulate the entire cast at this point too, for what a theatrical spectacular this musical number was.  It had everything!  Glitz, glamour, glorious dancing, and some of the genuinely funniest moments I have ever witnessed!  I cannot gush enough!  Put it this way, it got its own mini standing ovation!  This number begins as a duet between Ore Oduba and the incredible Pete Gallagher (42^nd Street, Fisherman’s Friends, Sarah & Duck) as The Monster.  What a performance!  His rendition of ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’ is legendary!  All sense of control leaves you as you completely corpse with no end to the laughter in sight.  I promise you, you will hurt from laughing so hard!  From a creature who begins with no use of language and has to communicate through nothing but guttural noise, Pete Gallagher manages to make us laugh, feel empathy and pity, as well as revealing his own fears and tortured soul, often bringing a surprising tenderness.  It is a masterclass on non-verbal communication and in complete contrast to how he ends the show, showing an enviable range of his talents. 

Curtis Patrick (Nerds, A Streetcar Named Desire, Pretty Woman) was, without a doubt, born to play Igor.  The physical comedy is rip-roaringly sensational.  Every movement, facial expression, word spoken, and dance step is dripping with the most eye-watering, side-splitting comedic genius I have seen in a long time.  This may sound bizarre but even Curtis Patrick’s eyes were funny!  The wide-eyed innocence of one who happily digs corpses up for brains is a winning paradox and is matched with a sprinkling of puppy dog loyalty.  The way Igor (or Eye-Gore) moved was like watching Mrs. Overall’s long-lost brother from another mother and how on earth this individuality was kept up even when dancing the same full on dance routines as the ensemble was another level!  Impeccable comedic timing with ridiculously hilarious facial expressions and constantly switched on, made this a performance not to be forgotten. 

Rhiannon Chesterman (WWRY, Rock Of Ages, The Wedding Singer) is vocal heaven as Elizabeth.  The way she manipulates her voice to offer dual transactions, deliver status, and reveal her elitist tendencies is exquisite and they explode into a vocal, acting, and musical theatre masterclass as she commands the stage in ‘Please Don’t Touch Me’.  Once again, the audience are left clutching their sides through laughter, and as we see more of Elizabeth, her self-assured confidence brings a dazzling dynamic to the show.  Rhiannon Chesterman’s composed presence shines bright amongst all the chaos surrounding her, giving her the perfect platform to belt out those killer vocals.  

Julie Yammanee is wonderfully cast as Inga for she brings us (as Elizabeth puts it) a ‘Transylvanian fiancé stealing trollop’ who despite her disregard for Frederick being engaged, we absolutely adore!  A flirtatious, yodelling, sex crazed lab assistant, she never lets her wide-eyed youthful innocence (which sounds weird given her tendencies) falter and she bounces around with infectious energy and love.  Her yodelling in ‘Roll In The Hay’ is incredible, even more so when you realise she is moving and bouncing around through the entire song!  She plays the complete antithesis to Elizabeth, bringing loyalty, love, and a luminous performance.  Jessica Martin (Doctor Who, Me & My Girl, Copycats) brings us a deliciously dark and dazzling Frau Blücher, who is equally enticing and terrifying.  With an undercurrent of the unknown emanating from each glance, breath, and intention, she is immaculate at switching between her gothic drollness and unleashing her inner diva as she owns the stage in ‘He Vas My Boyfriend.’  She is cool, calm, and in control, until she isn’t and then she produces a tornado of angst.  Another flawless performance with insane vocal delivery. 

Simeon Truby is Inspector Kemp and Harold The Hermit, both of which require physical comedy and are executed with top precision so that we find ourselves repeatedly laughing at the macabre.  With a stunning singing voice and remarkable comic acting, Simeon Truby effortlessly brings us two distinctive characters and is unafraid to involve the audience, so you may even find yourself sitting next to him!  His slapstick skills are world class, leading the laughter time and time again, especially in his scene as Harold The Hermit where he tries to feed The Monster. 

Directed and choreographed by Nick Winston, the precision, slickness and formidable timing of this show catapults you into a whirlwind of devilish delight, and the discombobulated chaos expertly teeters at the very edges of crazed commotion.  It is perfect pandemonium, creating the best musical theatre momentum as we urge the proceedings on with a ravishing adrenaline.  With an inspiring creative team making maximum use of the intimate setting of Hope Mill Theatre, they somehow manage to pull us directly into the performance with a comfortable proximity, whilst equally evoking the scale of a big budget Broadway show!  It is a visual feast for the eyes!  Set design by Sophia Pardon cages the walls in bolted steel, with gadgets adorning every nook and cranny.   It creates the perfect stark setting for the laboratory but works just as well in the stark setting of Transylvania.  Set pieces are brought on with ease as required, with a particular favourite being the inventive marriage of set and video screen (Matt Powell) to produce and horse and cart carriage ride.  Lighting design by Aaron J Dootson is atmospheric, spooky, and cleverly used to create illusion, such as the performers emerging seemingly from the shadows.

The musical numbers in Young Frankenstein are a beautiful trinity of old school music hall, the Golden era of Hollywood glamour, and modern melodies.  Every song is a hit, every dance a sensation, every scene an absolute wonder at the undeniable heady mix of talented cast and creatives.  A huge congratulations to Hope Mill’s William Wheelton, Joseph Houston, and Rhianna Swyer for bringing this formidable team together and producing the bejesus out of this regional premiere of Young Frankenstein.  It is brilliantly bonkers and will have you crying with laughter!  It is jam packed with jokes, slapstick, and plain old silliness, never taking itself too seriously, whilst remaining entirely serious about its purpose – to ensure the audience have an exceptional evening where they can do nothing but belly laugh.  Some of the humour plays hide and seek with what we think we may and may not be at liberty to laugh at, so fear not if you find yourself covering your mouth in a moment of thinking “Eeek!  Did I really just laugh at that?”  because yes you did, and you were not on your own.  This show is designed to nudge a few liberties and hold a mirror up to the ugly, toxic things in life so that we may take their power away by staring them in the face and laughing.  There is no disrespect here, just therapeutic, ballsy, hold no prisoners laughter that is fiendishly, fabulous fun!  You’ll be hard pushed to find many musical comedy’s that match Young Frankenstein for it is the gift that keeps on giving.  Just when you think it has peeked, it pushes even further into your funny bones, accelerating time and time again, forever tap dancing its twinkle toes upon your exhilarated heart.  No pun intended but it’s a no-brainer - Young Frankenstein is alive with the easiest 5 star rating ever!

WE SCORE YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN...



Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein is on at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester until Sunday 30th November 2025.


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