N.A.S.
by Kaitlin Lyle
In this spectacular adaptation of Mel Brooks’ beloved parody, the cast and crew of “Young Frankenstein” pulled out all the stops in their performances to give their audiences an unforgettable night of laughter.
In the opening number, the villagers of Transylvania rejoice at the passing of Dr. Victor Von Frankenstein, but recoil abruptly when it’s revealed that a Frankenstein still lives in the form of grandson Frederick. However, the distinguished doctor has made his place in New York, abandoning his family name (pronouncing it “Fronkensteen”) with no plans to live up to his heritage.
However, duty calls for him to visit Transylvania to resolve his grandfather’s estate; it is here that he befriends buxom lab assistant, Inga, and hunchbacked servant, Igor, who are ecstatic at the chance to assist him.
As much as Victor resists joining the family business, he becomes tempted to experiment with reanimation, especially with the encouragement of family ghosts.
Together, the group repeats the steps of the past and succeeds in bringing their creature to life, resulting in a rampage. Determined to restore peace to the community and give the creature humanity, the group sets out on an adventure of hysterical proportions that ensures a remarkable show.
As Frederick Frankenstein, actor Nick DeCrosta went beyond the call of duty in reanimating Gene Wilder’s iconic role, both embodying the role in its fevered entirety, and elevating it to exciting heights. Both his companions and “creature” excelled in dispensing newfound life to Mel Brooks’ characters with electrifying results.
In addition to its leads, the musical brought forth two of the most memorable supporting roles – fiancée Elizabeth and servant Igor – to light up the stage with a perfect amount of panache and pun. Newcomer Chris Whitcomb had audiences in tears of laughter in the role of everyones favorite hunchback; Kat Barone’s “adorable madcap fiancée” took her part by the reigns and had spectators fawning over her in no time.
“Out of all the roles I’ve played at Central, playing Elizabeth is one of the hardest roles I’ve had to play, including Hedda Gabler. She’s very showy and loud, and it’s something I’ve never done before, so for an actor who wants to put something on her resume, it’s an exciting twist,” said Barone on her role.
“Embrace the unexpected,” she sings as a poorly-timed arrival for her darling Freddy in the song “Surprise.”  By that point, the audience had already been hooked into the performance since the show’s opening number.
A range of hilarious accents spilled across the stage, from Sam Wolf’s Inspector Kemp to Delaney Cassidy’s Frau Blucher. Jokes of all nature surfaced in both song and script, whether they remained true to the original dialogue or produced sidesplitting innuendos.
The extensive choreography performed in the show’s musical numbers awoke awe in the theatergoers as footsteps on the stage caused their seats to rattle in place. The soundtrack relayed the story’s most iconic quotes by transforming them into unforgettable show-stoppers, such as “Roll in the Hay” and “He Vas My Boyfriend.” Avid film fans were perched at the edge of their seats in preparation for the infamous tap number between monster and maker in “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”
“It’s meant to give a laugh, but I think the greater message is passion: finding your passion and your dream,” said Victoria Daigle, an ensemble member and dance captain, on the message the show had to offer.
Rest assured, there was a happy ending in store for this year’s spring musical, however laced in it was with the show’s final shenanigans.