Derek Smootz News

When the Wimberley Players stage The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, tonight, September 12 - October 5, audiences can expect packed houses and a hilarious good time as only Mel Brooks can deliver. A spoof of classic horror films of the '30s and '40s (as seen in the 1974 movie of the same name), it is a rowdy, 'bawd-villian' frolic of the Frankenstein story in the best tradition of Borscht-Belt comedy.

When the Wimberley Players stage The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, September 12 - October 5, audiences can expect packed houses and a hilarious good time as only Mel Brooks can deliver. A spoof of classic horror films of the '30s and '40s (as seen in the 1974 movie of the same name), it is a rowdy, "bawd-villian" frolic of the Frankenstein story in the best tradition of Borscht-Belt comedy.

There are times when audiences would much rather see a carefree, lighthearted show rather than something thought provoking and profound, and that's exactly what National Pastime, a new Broadway-bound musical offers. While the show may need a few rewrites before it gets to the Great White Way, it's already a solid and enjoyable valentine to musicals from days gone by.

There's certainly a reason why the works of Gilbert and Sullivan have remained a fixture in popular culture for nearly 150 years. Their operas are fun, frivolous, and tinted with social and political satire. Though Princess Ida, their eighth operatic collaboration, may not be as well-known as some of their other works such as The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinifore, or The Mikado, it is just as silly, entertaining, and smart, as the current production by The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin wonderfully illustrates.