‘Young Frankenstein’ Hits The Great White Way
Though it seems unlikely that seasoned Broadway actor Roger Bart would have Gene Wilder as a role model, it appears that Bart is following in Wilder’s footsteps. Bart, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Snoopy in the 1999 Broadway revival of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” will play Dr. Frankenstein in the new Broadway musical “Young Frankenstein,” based on Mel Brooks’s classic 1974 film that, of course, stared Wilder as the young neurosurgeon.
But that’s not the only link these two thespians share: Wilder (whose real name is Jerome Silberman) played Leo Bloom in Brooks’s 1968 film “The Producers,” a role that Bart took on in 2003 in the Broadway musical adaptaion. “Young Frankenstein,” the musical, will open November 8 at the Hilton Theatre (previews begin October 11).
The production, to be directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, also features Megan Mullally as Elizabeth, Sutton Foster as Inga, Shuler Hensley as the Monster, Fred Applegate as Kemp and Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30