Frankenstein (1981) – Broadway Monster Flops Week
Monster Gets One Night On Broadway
By Leora Kanner, Broadway Magazine
Although the recent Mel Brook’s musical Young Frankenstein cannot really be called a Broadway success, it was not the most disastrous Broadway adaptation of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to date. An earlier attempt at transforming the popular monster story into a stage production occurred when “Frankenstein” opened at the Nederlander Theater on January 4, 1981. The production starred some famous actors such as John Carradine, David Dukes, Diane West, and John Glover (currently on Broadway in The Royal Family) and ran for 29 previews. ‘Scarily’ enough, the show was only to play one official performance, closing on its opening night after a huge critical panning.
Considered at the time the most expensive flop ever produced, “Frankenstein” lost over $2 million dollars. The disastrous fate of the show was particularly astounding because of its big-budget nature: the show utilized huge sets and special effects that were meant to enhance the production and make it a hit. However, it seems these characteristics only detracted from the story line. Frank Rich wrote in his New York Times review that: “This show’s magic tricks were actually pointless from both an artistic and commercial standpoint.”
Despite the fact that the show flopped, it has since become almost legendary. Frank Rich described the production in a famous NY Times Review as “January’s most talked-about Broadway phenomena…” Perhaps it was unfortunate that the production closed because “theatergoers who didn’t see “Frankenstein” are envious of those who did. This flop may be the hottest posthumous ticket since the David Merrick-Edward Albee-Mary Tyler Moore-Richard Chamberlain musical of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” folded in previews in the mid 1960’s.”
The notoriety of the show has persisted even until today, making the production a sort of ironic success. Happy Haunting.
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Tags: 1981, Broadway, Broadway Magazine, diane weist, Frank Rich, frankenstein, John Carradine, John Glover, Review
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