Muny’s ‘Young Frankenstein’ is a jaunty roll in the hay

The Muny is now serving a super-sized Bavarian ham on wry, with a saucy side of schtick, for an extra zesty rollout of “Young Frankenstein.”

Gales of laughter were uncorked opening night, as humor lurked around every shadow of the goofy gothic set designed by Paul Tate dePoo III.

A first-rate cast blithely cavorted in a cavernous castle, relishing the playful tone set by director Marcia Milgrom Dodge. She helmed the merrily macabre “The Addams Family” in 2014, the last time there were this many giggles and grins at the outdoor theater.

The musical comedy’s regional debut was a refreshing tonic after an intense afternoon thunderstorm felled big trees and downed power lines throughout the region. When the skies cleared Wednesday, laughing mattered and it was all funny business in Forest Park.

The irrepressible jester Mel Brooks’ 2007 stage adaptation of his 1974 madcap monster movie spoof mixes Borscht Belt-flavored zingers, salty double entendres, silly sight gags and plentiful puns with breezy songs and snappy dances.

Victor Frankenstein’s grandson, an American neurosurgeon, has always downplayed his infamous heritage, but a trip to the ancestral home changes his mind. He gets caught up in the legacy’s lunacy and decides to re-animate a corpse. An “Abby Normal” brain mix-up then triggers chaos in Transylvania.

Tony-winning scribe Thomas Meehan ("The Producers") collaborated again with Brooks on the script, based on the Oscar-nominated screenplay by Gene Wilder and Brooks, but the rollicking music and lyrics are all the one and only Brooks.

The Muny’s large-scale production won’t disappoint film fans and has enough punchy show tunes and vivacious choreography to entertain theatergoers.

“Transylvania Mania” and “Together Again” are jaunty while “Roll in the Hay” is typical rascally Brooks, sparkling under Charlie Alterman’s peppy music direction.

The standout is a fanciful rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” with dazzling tap work by both the youth ensemble — including Michael Harp of Swansea — and dance corps rivaling the flair of Fred Astaire. Choreographer Josh Rhodes, who grew up in Decatur, made the most of the massive stage. The grandeur of the top hat-and-tail clad performers is a thrill — and in really big shoes, too!

Favorite film lines remain, with “What hump?” and “It’s Fronk-en-steen!” just as amusing delivered live.

The cast effectively recreated the wacky characters, not merely mimicking Brooks’ incredible repertory of Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Peter Boyle and Kenneth Mars.

It’s a testament to their well-rounded talent that the ensemble made their roles their own — with a savory dash of homage, a pinch of personality, zippy comic timing and sharp stage presence.

Very funny Robert Petkoff is a convincing Frederick, and a strong song-and-dance man. He kept the action moving, solidly anchoring the show.

Muny vet Steve Rosen repeatedly brought down the house as Igor, aka “Eye-Gor.” As memorable as Rosen was as Uncle Fester in '14 and as Cogsworth in last year’s “Beauty and the Beast,” this role may be his best yet.

His “Addams Family” castmate, Jennifer Cody, uproariously funny as Grandma two years ago, channeled Judy Holliday via the Megan Mullaly (Broadway) role of glamorous socialite Elizabeth. She’s hilariously over-the-top in “Please Don’t Touch Me” and “Deep Love.”

Stage and screen vet Vicki Lewis, who appeared on NBC’s “News Radio,” is broadly funny as the funny broad Frau Blucher, whose severity induces the horses to neigh. She’s sensational on the dramatic “He Vas My Boyfriend.”

Stephanie Gibson is a good sport as the va-va-voom Inga, one of those stock vaudeville beauties Brooks employs for gender jokes.

A tall and imposing Timothy Hughes is quite impressive – and agile – as The Monster, wearing hefty shoe lifts and looming large.

Of special note is John Scherer, very comical as The Hermit, a priceless cameo, and also as the cartoonish Inspector Kemp. He’s a regular at The Muny and The Rep, and always stands out. He ad-libbed a line, based on a wardrobe malfunction, that got the evening’s biggest laugh.

The show has its naughty elements, and the Muny gleefully walks on the wild side here, so bravo for leaving material as is. However, they did insert some inspired local laugh lines, well-received by the hometown crowd.

The technical elements were particularly crisp, from the crystal-clear sound design by John Shivers and David Patridge to the atmospheric lighting design by Rob Denton, with nifty video design work by Matthew Young, evoking stylish 1930s movie touches.

What could be better than a lark in the park that produced such smiles on a summer night?

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Muny’s ‘Young Frankenstein’ is a jaunty roll in the hay."