Young Frankenstein

Summary :

The doctor Frederick Frankenstein, who prefers to be called Frederick Frankenstine to gloss over his famous monster-creating grandfather, has to go to Transylvania to pick up his inheritance. He arrives at a strange castle inhabited by an old woman and a hunchback servant called Igor. Together, they end up producing a living creature. But monsters are never what you think they might be.

You’ll be laughing out loud watching this parody of old fantasy films. The show is brought alive with zesty songs, electrifying choreography and wonderfully offbeat humour.

Press review :

Dates and venue :

16 to 18 October at Théâtre Saint-Michel in Brussels.
2200 spectators over 3 days.

Creative team :

Mise en scène : Damien Locqueneux
Assistant producer : Jeremy Bruyninckx
Translation and adaptation : Stéphane Laporte
Logistics assistant : Virginie Goossens
Musical direction : Arnaud Giroud
Choreography : Nora Alberdi
Set design : Laureen Joyce-Centner and Cécile Balate
Costumes : Anna Terrien and Héloise Mathieu
Voice coaching : Fabrice Pillet
Lighting : Didier Van Lancker
Sound : Thierry Van Cutsem and Xavier Gilis
Property man : Lionel Sorce
Make-up : Valko
Press officer : Valérie Cornelis
Graphic design : Roberto Salvador
Production : Rosa Vinci
Followspot : Pierrick Deffense

Musicians :

Piano 1 : Hugo Mathieu
Piano 2 : Gauvain De Morant
Violin : Gaëlle Boqué
Double bass: Claire-Sarah Fouche
Percussions : Arthur Ros
Drums : Thomas Vasseur
French horn : Jason Enuset
Clarinettes 1 : Bethsabée Hatzfeld
Clarinettes 2 : Cedric de Bryucker
Flute : Fabien Bogaert
Trumpet 1 : Florine Lombaert
Trumpet 2 : Jean-François Rondeaux
Trombone : Cyril Franck

Concept :

Before Frankenstein :

It all began with just a youth acting workshop held an hour a week at the secondary school Collège Saint-Pierre in Uccle. But with help from the youngsters’ parents, this workshop gradually turned into a project for a musical: Matilda. The plan was announced at the start of the year and quickly drew the attention of many pupils keen to take part. Auditions soon took place to find 25 little rare gems who could sing, dance and act. In total, 60 teenagers from the secondary school auditioned. Rehearsals swiftly boomed, with creative volunteers contributing: an accompanist, a choreographer, a musical director, an assistant, technicians, an orchestra and so on. And everything had to be translated and adapted. Indeed, this musical had never been produced in French before! The two performances we gave on 27 and 28 September 2014 sparked incredible enthusiasm: both shows were sold out and honoured with a standing ovation.

After that, the young actors and artistic crew wanted to carry on with Matilda, this time beyond the school and with greater financial backing. But because the distribution rights were not available, the show could not be performed outside the school. Still, we wondered if we could produce another musical. Young Frankenstein emerged as an obvious pick. The charity Une Histoire de Famille felt directly concerned by this new bold venture and offered logistical and financial backing so we could, among other things, get the distribution rights. So we then contacted MTI (Music Theatre International) in New York and Paris-Drama. And after waiting several weeks, we got our response in November 2014: our adventure could finally begin.

A partner charity – “Une Histoire de Famille” :

The charity Une Histoire de Famille seeks to raise awareness of the genetic disorder congenital adrenal hyperplasia. It was founded in March 2013 by two parents with two of their three children suffering from this medical condition. The charity aimed to help and advise families in a similar situation through their website, events and conferences. One of the teenagers who played in Young Frankenstein suffers from this genetic disorder.

So when the charity’s president suggested we join forces to meet our goals, the choice was clear. And our partnership got underway. The charity gave us the initial funds to pay for the distribution rights. They also brought us into their network. In return, we gave them much publicity, helping boost their popularity.

You can find out more about the charity at : www.unehistoiredefamille.org

A young troupe – Les gosses révoltés :

The amateur dramatics troupe Les Gosses révoltés is made up of 25 members: 11 boys and 14 girls aged between 13 and 17 years, most of whom are pupils at the secondary school Collège Saint-Pierre in Uccle and performers in Matilda. Some have been dancing for ten years and acting since primary school. Others sing in choirs (Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Pierre, Chœur de la Monnaie children’s choir, and so on) et some have even taken part in large-scale shows like The Sound of Music (Ars Lyrica, Bruxellons! festival), Tom Sawyer (Ars Lyrica), Brundibár and Okilélé (Opéra royal de Wallonie). They are all driven by a shared passion: musicals and performing arts.