October is full of fall festivities. Zeigfeld Theater is a great place to take a date instead of your typical haunted house or corn maze. Their latest production, “Young Frankenstein,” is a comedy with a twist that aims to please.
“The characters are so unique. They are such fun characters. You have unbelievable local talent bringing to life some of the greatest talents in local comedy,” said Rick Rea, the artistic director for the Ziegfield.
Rick Rea, along with Morgan and Caleb Parry started Zeigfield Theater 10 years ago. The three of them were all Weber State musical theater majors. “All of us had desires to produce the arts and run a theater, so we embarked on this journey and did so with the help of many others,” said Rea.
“Young Frankenstein” is based on the Mel Brooks film and is about a descendant of the Frankenstein family from the Mary Shelley book. The play is set in the 1930s and is a parody of old monster movies and Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.”
“Mel Brooks is one of the great American comedy writers—he is the best, and everybody will have fun for sure,” said Rebecca Marcotte, who plays the role of Frau Blücher.
“The name Frau Blücher is German for ‘glue.’ It’s an inside joke that Mel Brooks put into the movie. It’s very iconic and famous that anytime someone says Frau Blücher’s name every horse within earshot whinnies loudly and goes crazy.”
Daniel Pac, who plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in the show, attended WSU for music education originally got involved at the Ziegfield while playing in the pit orchestra. Since then, Pac has been in eight shows at the Ziegfeld.
“The show itself is going to be hilarious. It has lots of really neat elements. As well as being a comedy, it brings in the whole horror film aspect of it. It’s a bit crazy, but it makes for quite the ride,” said Pac.
Erica Choffel got into theater in sixth grade. She was inspired by her mother, whose favorite show was “The Wizard of Oz.” She found out they were doing the stage play for the show and shortly after that got the acting bug. Choffel also attended WSU for three years.
“Everyone should go see live theater, it’s a fun art form and this play is way funny. Especially if it’s local, it’s always fun when you know someone, ”said Choffel, who plays a sexy lab assistant in “Young Frankenstein.”
The show Young Frankenstein starts on Oct. 16 and runs through Nov. 14. The shows debut each Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and matinees will be playing the last two Saturdays.
You can buy tickets online at zigarts.com. Tickets sell for $17-19 online. However, tickets can be bought at the door for an additional dollar. Ticket prices are $17 with a valid student I.D. card.
