USD theatre performs comedic ‘Young Frankenstein’

This weekend, the USD theatre will begin to showcase its performance of “Young Frankenstein,” a comedic musical adapted from the famous 1974 Mel Brooks film.

The play follows Fredrick Frankenstein, the American grandson of the mad scientist Victor Frankenstein, who is struggling to break away from the stereotype his family name leads people to believe.

When he receives his grandfather’s diary, Fredrick travels to his family’s home country of Transylvania and discovers the work his grandfather did to resurrect a dead body to create a monster.

The show will be performed in the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre Nov. 20-22 and Dec. 2-6.

Matthew Nesmith, director of the show and assistant theatre professor at USD, chose to produce the show because of its unique comedy and style.

“This is a classic musical comedy. Classic in the sense of there’s a lot of musical theatre singing, a lot of dance and a lot of comedy that pays homage to the earlier styles of the 20s, 30s and 40s,” Nesmith said. “It also, because it’s a Mel Brooks movie, has a particularly unique kind of irreverent satire and humor which people know and have come to love in his movies. It’s stood the test of time in terms of its writing, its humor and its appeal to audiences.”

Due to the style of the play, casting lead roles was based on many factors that were heavily grounded upon the comedy present in the show.

“It’s a comic cast of characters, and then a large ensemble as well. So, we’re looking at how well the actors understand this particular brand of comedy, because it is a very specific type of physical and intellectual comedy that is difficult, but when done well is very, very funny,” Nesmith said. “There’s certain Mel Brooks bits and moments that are in the movie that are also in the show that people expect to see. So, we have to honor that as well, and the actors have to be able to do that.”

Senior Brianna Adams and junior Trevor Hudson were cast as supporting characters in the show.

Adams plays the role of Elizabeth Bennet, the fiancé of Fredrick Frankenstein, and Hudson plays the role of Inspector Kemp, the leader of the Transylvanian village.

Both gained new experiences from the roles.

Adams said “Young Frankenstein” is the biggest musical production she has ever been a part of.

“This is a very big musical comedy, and I think that it’s the biggest production size of musical comedy that I’ve been in,” Adams said. “It’s a lot of set pieces, costumes and props.”

The show is also a first for Hudson, who has been in large musical productions before, but never as a supporting role like he is in “Young Frankenstein.”

“It’s fun. It’s a huge show and it relies on its comedy through the text and its actors,” Hudson said. “Without the comedy, the show wouldn’t live up to the movie’s expectation.”

Actors in “Young Frankenstein” were able to improve their comedic acting skills with this show.

“Before this show, I had a lot of work on physical comedy. I think doing this show has just strengthened that,” Hudson said. “It’s also helped me with comedic timing. I think that is something very key in this show, and it really works that muscle.”

The amount of work put into creating a huge musical production like “Young Frankenstein” takes a lot of time. Students have spent more than 20 hours per week for up to six weeks preparing for the production.

“While it’s difficult, it’s also worth the work. It’s a labor of love, and that’s why we’re here,” Nesmith said. “We believe and expect our audiences to see this as the best theatrical experience they’re going to have in the Midwest, and we have proven that time and again. So, it’s our goal to always rise to and meet that standard.”