By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Happy Halloween, Burlington! There’s a show coming up in town that will satisfy appetites for fun and costumes after the spooky season is officially over and the stores fill up with Christmas decorations. Dr. Eastman Welsford will play Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson and (reluctant) successor Dr. Frederick “Fronkensteen” — pronounced that way at the character’s insistence — in Drury Lane Theatre’s upcoming musical comedy extravaganza Young Frankenstein. Set to premiere on November 7, 2025, Young Frankenstein will shock Burlington’s audiences into life.
Young Frankenstein on stage is something of a Frankenstein-esque creation in itself, assembled as it is from various body parts stitched together. It’s a Broadway musical based on the 1974 film Young Frankenstein, which parodies the 1931 horror film Frankenstein, which, in turn, is loosely based on the original 1818 horror/science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, who was only nineteen when she wrote it. In the film Young Frankenstein, the lead mad scientist is played by the late and revered Gene Wilder. It’s considered one of the roles that defined Wilder’s wildly successful career. That, and Willy Wonka.
Shelley’s iconic premise is one everyone knows. A brilliant but irresponsible doctor named Victor Frankenstein, with questionable qualifications, defies the natural order of life and harnesses the powers of science to reanimate a corpse made entirely out of stolen body parts. The monster, Frankenstein’s creation, lives, but at what cost to society? Drury Lane’s Young Frankenstein continues Shelley’s storyline through a descendant of the first doctor, who inherits the family castle and laboratory. After many reservations, he, Frederick, changes his mind about despising the family business and decides to continue his morally dubious grandfather’s work.
A veterinarian by trade who has worked and travelled across Europe, Drury Lane’s star Dr. Eastman Welsford is no stranger to either scalpels or ominous castles nestled in the mountains. However, Welsford wouldn’t consider himself a mad scientist, but rather a passionate actor who strives to really enjoy and understand his role. He is happy to speak out on what excites him about the Frankenstein saga and how rehearsals for this unique stage production are coming along. Answers have been shortened and lightly edited for clarity and flow.
What aspects of Gene Wilder’s performance are you drawing inspiration from for your own performance as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein?
The director, Marc Richard, has said that Wilder’s performance is what we’re hopefully trying to emulate a bit. And it’s funny, one of the reasons this show is one of my favourites is because the Young Frankenstein movie from the 1970s has been a fan favourite in my family for a long time. I watched it so many times before auditioning and have now probably watched it six times in the last two months during rehearsals. There are so many fun and iconic references directly to the movie, so people who know the movie well will really get a lot out of it. I’m trying to really emulate Gene Wilder’s neuroticism in those scenes.
Which song are you most excited to perform and why?
My favourite song in the musical is one of the only songs I’m not in. It’s one of the songs the hermit sings. It’s called “Send Me Someone.” It’s quite funny. All the music in Young Frankenstein is just great. It’s just very, very catchy. But I think for me, the best one that I sing is “The Brain,” which is actually the first musical number of the show. I like that one because, at least for me, it allows me to showcase a combination of the expertise and the intellect my character has. It’s mixed in with a lot of Gene Wilder neuroses and the little idiosyncrasies that he has. The song starts off a bit slow, where he’s telling a story, and then it becomes a fun and upbeat number. At the end, there’s a very, very fast-paced section where the words are coming up very quickly. That part has just been really fun to do, and the choreography that goes along with it is just a blast. It’s so much fun for the cast to do it all together.
Does Drury Lane Theatre’s version of Young Frankenstein incorporate many elements of the original horrific tale by Mary Shelley?
I will use this opportunity to admit that I haven’t read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, even though I probably should. From what I understand, the musical that we’re doing uses its source material mostly from the Young Frankenstein movie. But there are quite a few scenes in the movie, and therefore a few scenes in our show, that are a take or maybe even a satire on Mary Shelley’s original work. Like when the monster goes on the loose and they catch him and bring him back to the dungeon. The doctor, my character, tries to calm him down and use a different approach instead of aggression and strength. He tries to get through to the monster on an emotional level. I didn’t know this until fairly recently, but that is directly from Mary Shelley’s book. There is a tender scene between the doctor and the monster in the book where they talk to each other. I would also say that the costumes and makeup we’re doing are a bit of a nod to Shelley’s work as well.
I think it’s appropriate that we’re doing this show around this time of year, close to Halloween. We’re concerned that maybe some of the older folks in the area who would normally come to a Drury Lane show are a bit turned off, thinking our show is a scary sort of thing. It’s not at all. It’s very fun. It’s just a good time to watch with lots of laughs. It’s campy, but not in a Rocky Horror Picture Show kind of way. It is its own kind of campy.
Tickets to Drury Lane’s Young Frankenstein can be purchased here. Tickets to opening night are already sold out, but it’s not too late to score spots for a later date and witness the brainchild of a nineteenth-century teenage genius and Broadway.
