Seekrit Mystery Date: Revealed!

I have a cool boyfriend. Because he took me on a pretty damn good SMD: I, in my pretty summer dress, and Ivan sporting his utilikilt (with optional tiger tale) walked to the Paramount theater and saw a performance of Mel Brook's new musical "Young Frankenstein" which is playing here first before heading to Broadway. According to what Daniel the Fire Guy told us at the Georgetown Old Skool carnival back in June, Broadway producers like mounting shows first at the Paramount (Hairspray premiered here, I think) because the stage itself is rather shallow. They figure if they can make it technically work here, it'll work in any other theater it goes to. And, really, can you get any further geographically from NYC?

Anyway, it was a lot of fun although not the best musical either of us has ever seen - the first act lasted forevvvvver with 95% of the dialogue lifted directly from the movie. Only the ending was rewritten to meet the convention of a theater piece. Unsurprisingly, the best song was "Putting On the Ritz" written by Irving Berlin and they performed the hell out of it. But what made the play for me was the amazing cast - almost all multiple award winners: Roger Bart as Frankenstein, Megan Mullaly as Elizabeth, Andrea Martin(!) as Frau Blucher, Sutton Place as Inga, and Shuler Hensley as the Monster. These were actors at the top of their game turning so-so material into gold. Or silver. Without question better than regional musical theater.