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Exclusive Interview: Eric Rodman of Avon Players' 'Young Frankenstein' · The BSB Podcast

• 0:00
  Thank you so much for joining me today.
• 0:01
  Eric, how are you doing?
• 0:02
  I'm doing fantastic.
• 0:04
  Thank you very much for the invite.
• 0:06
  How are you?
• 0:08
  We're doing good and we're so glad that you can be here.
• 0:10
  um We are so excited here at Box Seat Babes for Young Frankenstein that's coming to the Avon Players.
• 0:15
  But how's the rehearsal process been for you so far?
• 0:18
  ah It's a lot of fun, especially when you're dealing with subject matter such as Mel Brooks humor.
• 0:26
  So a lot of laughs.
• 0:27
  ah It's a rather grueling show physically at least for me because of all the physical comedy, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the whole rehearsal process.
• 0:39
  So for those who are unfamiliar with Young Frankenstein, which maybe seems kind of silly because it's been around forever and everybody kind of knows it, but what's the story of
• 0:48
  Young Frankenstein?
• 0:50
  ah So the story, without giving too much away, uh revolves around Frederick Frankenstein, who is the grandson of Victor Frankenstein, the most famous creator of the monster from
• 1:03
  the original Mary Shelley story.
• 1:05
  ah And Frederick has learned of Victor's death and is the direct inheritor of his Transylvania castle and estate.
• 1:16
  that he has to go over and kind of settle his grandfather's affairs.
• 1:20
  Frederick has kind of lived his life distancing himself from the Frankenstein name.
• 1:25
  So he even goes as far as to refer to himself as Frankenstein uh to try and make that separation as obvious as possible.
• 1:34
  uh And so he's drawn kind of back to his homeland, if you will, uh completely opposed to
• 1:42
  the Frankenstein name and the legacy and everything.
• 1:44
  And along the way he meets a cast of characters who are uh Transylvanians who uh slowly start to draw him back into the Frankenstein ways.
• 1:56
  And then, you know, hilarity ensues, I guess.
• 2:01
  such an iconic role for many reasons, you both being Mel Brooks's young Frankenstein, but also because it's, you know, based off of Frankenstein and you're playing Frankenstein,
• 2:10
  right?
• 2:10
  Yes, yes ah I am.
• 2:14
  It is a role that I didn't know until I kind of dove into the script, ah how much fun ah and how layered it was going to be.
• 2:23
  And obviously after rewatching the original film ah early on in the process to really study the iconic Gene Wilder, who has done so many great films, but particularly in Young
• 2:37
  Frankenstein was just
• 2:40
  Absolutely fantastic in the role and whatnot.
• 2:43
  And the character is just so much fun because again, he has those layers of being kind of the uptight university professor who slowly evolves into a different version of himself as
• 2:55
  the story unfolds.
• 2:56
  uh so it leaves a lot of room for great acting choices as an actor and everything.
• 3:03
  So it's been fun to play with it and really dive into it.
• 3:06
  So were you familiar with Young Frankenstein, like growing up or kind of, you know, from the past, from its inception?
• 3:13
  Yes, yes, it is one that I have definitely watched as a kid.
• 3:17
  It had been several years since I had seen it.
• 3:20
  And so I had actually watched uh some of the Broadway uh versions of the musical more recently.
• 3:28
  So I wanted to go back to the source material and see the original film.
• 3:32
  And so when I rewatched it, I just was taken aback by how timeless the humor and the timing and the way they shot it to have it.
• 3:43
  you know, be in that black and white 1930s monster-esque, you know, like the old monster picks type of film uh and really see the differences between like the film and like the
• 3:55
  Broadway, you know, the musical version and everything and stuff to kind of pick up on those nuances.
• 4:01
  Yeah, because it really does kind of channel that like monster B-flick feel from like, you know, classic monster movies.
• 4:08
  And so it's kind of cool to see that on stage now.
• 4:10
  Do feel like the stage show captures kind of that energy well?
• 4:14
  It does and the nice thing is because of it being a live stage show and the musical numbers and everything, the live stage show is a little more upbeat and moves a little bit
• 4:28
  quicker and I think that's better for a live audience where as a film you kind of settle in and there's a lot more silence and stillness and obviously the camera can get much
• 4:39
  closer so the little subtle
• 4:41
  humorous things that are happening in the scene are easier to detect.
• 4:44
  So like with all things with stage versions, you kind of have to beef things up a little bit so it reads to the whole audience.
• 4:53
  So what's it like to kind of step into the shoes of such an iconic character and also kind of stepping into his shoes of a character that was made popular by Gene Wilder?
• 5:01
  ah daunting.
• 5:04
  I'm not I'm not I will not lie to you it is daunting.
• 5:07
  uh Try not to try not to psych yourself out with the pressure of it you know because you know I kind of fall under the philosophy that you know each actor should make the role
• 5:18
  their own there's kind of some iconic traits that come with certain characters but uh you know really Gene Wilder and after talking with with Joy our director
• 5:29
  and whatnot, that was really what she kind of envisioned Frankenstein to be, more of the onscreen version of Gene Wilder because he had this oh reserved, calm composure to him
• 5:43
  that also was punctuated with moments of madness and mania and everything, so trying to capture that.
• 5:51
  But there's also lot of great choices that happen in the uh Broadway and stage productions.
• 5:57
  that are hilarious and they play well to the bits and the musical numbers.
• 6:02
  you know, trying to kind of do the research and then at some point I try to make it a point of kind of cutting off listening to any of the recordings or watching any of the
• 6:10
  movies because I don't want it to influence too much as I start to kind of make my own choices as an actor of where I want to go with the character.
• 6:18
  kind of using it as like a guiding force, but then also realizing that you have room to kind of play within that to make it your own.
• 6:25
  Exactly, yes, exactly.
• 6:26
  And then I always defer to Joy, you know, because having that audience perspective, obviously in the rehearsal process to be like, is this playing well?
• 6:34
  Like if I do this gesture, make this face, or if I deliver this line this way, is it reading?
• 6:39
  Because you can't tell when you're, you know, in it, in the scene and everything.
• 6:43
  So it helps, helps a lot.
• 6:46
  Do you have a specific process for making the character your own?
• 6:49
  how do you kind of develop who Frankenstein is without taking that source material in?
• 6:57
  Yeah, that's great question.
• 6:59
  like to read, personally I like to read through the script um and kind of, and I don't really write this out, but kind of put together a timeline in my head of the character's
• 7:12
  journey and kind of where their headspace would be at that moment.
• 7:16
  Because it can be easy to like jump into a scene at the end of the show and play Frederick one way, but that's not the same Frederick who starts the show.
• 7:25
  And you have to
• 7:27
  convey that evolution over time and you have to do so convincingly because you don't want to come on stage one scene and then appear to be a completely different person in the next
• 7:36
  scene.
• 7:37
  um it's really, I think, kind of taking a step back after kind of looking at the whole story and kind of figuring out what that progression looks like and like, okay, where are
• 7:48
  these moments where we're starting to kind of get a little mesmerized by the...
• 7:54
  the mystique, you will, of Transylvania and all of the spooky, wonderful things that are going on uh and then really start to kind of get swept up in what's going on inside the
• 8:05
  story and everything.
• 8:06
  Because he really starts off the story as being resistant to a lot of these things.
• 8:12
  Absolutely.
• 8:12
  uh know, Young Frankenstein is kind of unique too in that, I mean, I should say unique in many different ways, but it is also a musical that was adapted from a film, which we tend
• 8:24
  to see quite a few of those recently now with Broadway.
• 8:27
  What do you think makes Young Frankenstein unique in this aspect?
• 8:30
  a great question.
• 8:31
  um
• 8:32
  Well, outside of the iconic bits, because a lot of the iconic bits from the movie are captured in the stage version, which I was very happy to see when finally, you know, when
• 8:42
  getting to read through the script, because there's a lot of moments that are just kind of synonymous with the movie, if you will.
• 8:48
  ah But what I've...
• 8:51
  can't erase because you need them there.
• 8:54
  Exactly.
• 8:55
  Yes.
• 8:55
  A lot of those iconic lines of know, Frau Blucher who's such a funny like Cloris Leachman in the original film is like absolutely hilarious.
• 9:03
  And like there's a, if you ever have time, there is a bloopers reel on YouTube of young Frankenstein like outtakes, which back in the day when they were filming it in the
• 9:13
  seventies were like very costly to like have bloopers.
• 9:16
  So they tried their best to stay in character.
• 9:18
  But Cloris Leachman had everyone rolling on set when she was doing her Frau Blücher, because she was just improvising and trying things.
• 9:26
  And like Gene Wilder would break all the time.
• 9:28
  um Sorry about that.
• 9:31
  uh
• 9:33
  I've actually seen that and I'm thinking of the scene that was right outside the castle when his uh girlfriend or fiance shows up and they just keep breaking character during
• 9:43
  that one.
• 9:43
  So I know exactly what you're talking about, I've seen it.
• 9:45
  yes, it's a line where he's like, where he's like, Frankenstein says to Igor, get the bags.
• 9:52
  And he looks at the two ladies and he goes, all right, I'll take the blonde.
• 9:55
  You take the brunette.
• 9:59
  Marty Feldman.
• 10:00
  uh But to your original question, I would say what I like is uh there are your typical big, you know, ensemble numbers, your big ballad numbers.
• 10:12
  uh
• 10:14
  There's also lot of dialogue and comedy and humor that's packaged within a lot of the musical numbers, which I enjoy that because it kind of keeps the audience on their toes
• 10:25
  because you go from singing to all of a boom, there's a quick little back and forth between two characters mid song with a hilarious punch line gets the audience rolling and
• 10:34
  then it shifts right back into the musical number and everything.
• 10:38
  So they did a nice job of incorporating that, that the humorous dialogue.
• 10:43
  but also keeping the show moving by having the music intertwined through that.
• 10:49
  Speaking of the music, do you have a favorite song or number from this production that you like performing or that like is just iconic for you?
• 10:55
  Well, I very much enjoy the opening number, Frederick's opening number, and it's called The Brain.
• 11:01
  And it's him teaching to all his uh lab students ah because it's kind of his introduction.
• 11:10
  he's talking about how much he loves the brain and how magnificent it is.
• 11:14
  And it's this wonderfully complex organ.
• 11:16
  But it's like also kind of a love song because he's like talking about the brain.
• 11:22
  And so you get a chance as an actor to kind of show a little bit of the weird side, if you will, of Frederick to be like, okay, he's not just your typical straight lead that is
• 11:33
  just, you know what I mean?
• 11:34
  ah Nothing, no quirks or anything weird about him.
• 11:37
  It's like, no, this guy's got a little something going on.
• 11:40
  So it is a nice way to kind of warm the audience up to that.
• 11:43
  um But the numbers I get to do with my...
• 11:49
  co stars Emily Brown and Jeff Stillman who play Inga and Igor.
• 11:55
  ah There's like a big buddy vaudevillian duo number that Igor and I do called Together Again, which is, you know, is always gonna, is a crowd pleaser.
• 12:05
  I think people are really gonna enjoy that.
• 12:07
  And then Emily and I sing a song inside of a hay wagon while it's moving and bouncing.
• 12:12
  That is very humorous as well too, uh so.
• 12:18
  She was speaking about that when she goes, it's one of the most like you have to have so much stamina for that song itself and she never planned it.
• 12:25
  You know, she never knew about that like planning for that
• 12:28
  she's and she's upside down.
• 12:30
  She's like straddling me at one point.
• 12:33
  She's going all over the wagon.
• 12:35
  I get to just kind of sit and hang out a little bit, thankfully, catch my breath.
• 12:38
  But um she's all over that.
• 12:41
  And like I said, we have actors that are like the wagon is moving.
• 12:44
  And so while you're you're still trying to act and perform while, you know, your whole seat's bouncing and you're holding on for dear life.
• 12:51
  And it really adds to the humor of the scene, because even the bouncing and the jostling around.
• 12:57
  kind of, I don't know, it gives more immersion to the scene as though we are actually riding on this wagon that's going down a dirt road into a Transylvanian forest.
• 13:07
  Sure, absolutely.
• 13:08
  ah How do you feel like this show has challenged you as an actor?
• 13:12
  Well, like I said, beyond physically, is, and I will just being honest, this is the most physically demanding role I've had to date in all of my acting roles that I've had.
• 13:24
  uh There is a lot of physical comedy, which I enjoy and I'm fully, you know, like on board with doing, but it's like we get to intermission and it's like, ah I'm sweating like from
• 13:38
  everywhere and I'm just like.
• 13:40
  And I'm like, we still got another half of the show to do.
• 13:44
  um And so, it is definitely physically demanding um in that regard.
• 13:52
  I will say it is challenging in that regard.
• 13:55
  that keeping the story moving, keeping the energy up because the material deserves that focus and that energy throughout the entirety of the story.
• 14:04
  You gotta kind of lock in and keep coming with it.
• 14:09
  know, 110 % every scene.
• 14:12
  And for this show, what themes from Young Frankenstein resonate the most with you?
• 14:16
  Great question.
• 14:17
  That's why I gotta ask him, you know?
• 14:19
  I know, I know, I appreciate it.
• 14:21
  I appreciate it.
• 14:22
  Thanks.
• 14:22
  the the
• 14:24
  The ability to persist or fight or to be willing to change, I think, is, I think a big thing because I think we as humans get so comfortable in our routines and our consistency
• 14:39
  in what we do and that the unknown, the different, the, you know what I mean?
• 14:44
  Any, the change up, the switch uh can be scary to a lot of people.
• 14:50
  And so there is a natural fear there, I think.
• 14:52
  And so.
• 14:54
  embracing that change and diving into it and whatnot uh can sometimes yield wonderful things.
• 15:02
  And I think this show kind of highlights that uh in multiple ways.
• 15:06
  mean, that's a beautiful answer.
• 15:08
  One final question for you is just, are you hoping audiences take away from this production of Young Frankenstein?
• 15:13
  I hope that they, A, laugh, laugh a lot.
• 15:19
  They see the ode to the source material because it deserves that much respect being a timeless classic that it is.
• 15:29
  And really, in a world where there is so much going on and so much uh to stress you out and bring you down, that you really just get, you come in and get swept away.
• 15:42
  and have a great time, laugh, enjoy yourself, and just not think about anything but the story that's unfolding in front of you.
• 15:51
  And if we can do that, I think audiences will walk away very pleased with what we've done.
• 15:57
  Thank you so much, Eric, for your time.
• 15:58
  We greatly appreciate it, and we're so excited to see this show.
• 16:01
  All right, thank you very much.
• 16:03
  Avon players young Frankenstein runs May 30th through the June 14th.
• 16:06
  So get your tickets now and we will see you there