Director Gerry McIntyre Talks 'Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein: The Musical'

The 2024 Bay Street Mainstage season is coming to a close with Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein: The Musical, directed and choreographed by York Theatre Associate Artistic Director Gerry McIntyre, August 1–25.

McIntyre’s prowess as a director and choreographer have been showcased in numerous productions, such as Godspell (Berkshire Theatre Group) and Spamilton (Musical Theater West and Pittsburgh CLO), and he has shown off his acting chops on the Bay Street stage in the 2011 production of Carl Reiner’ Enter Laughing. For his latest production, he’s set to direct a cast comprising Sean Bell as The Monster, Aaron Choi as Hermit, Broadway veteran Veanne Cox as Frau Blücher, Matthew Hydzik as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, James Romney as Igor, Kyla Stone as Inga and Aléna Watters as Elizabeth Benning; Savannah Cooper, Bradley William Gibbins, Brady Miller and Linda Neel as the ensemble; and Christina Emily Jackson and Cullen J. Zeno as swings.

We spoke to McIntyre to get the scoop on his vision for Young Frankenstein: The Musical at Bay Street.

A Chat with Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein: The Musical Director Gerry McIntyre

Are you a fan of Young Frankenstein and Mel Brooks’ other films?

I am obsessed with Mel Brooks. The Producers was my favorite, but now I just love Young Frankenstein. It’s amazing. … I’m going down the rabbit hole watching the Young Frankenstein movie over and over, because I think it’s one of my favorite Mel Brooks movies and his best comedy film.

I recently watched Blazing Saddles and … I used to think it was hilarious, but now it seems sophomoric for some reason. Maybe it’s my taste that’s changed, but Young Frankenstein is so much better. It’s highbrow, but I don’t mean “highbrow” as in you have to be really educated to understand it; it’s just that they’re not doing things for simple laughs. Mel Brooks is doing Young Frankenstein for real.

What is your directorial vision for the upcoming Bay Street production?

I love that theater. It’s so intimate and gorgeous. I was an actor in a show there, a really great comedy by Carl Reiner, and I remember how actors can play comedy there and don’t have to push at all, which is great. It makes it more intimate and more like the movie. … (Unlike at a large theater with a mezzanine), when we get to Bay Street, we have to pull it all back and let the audience come to us. If you push too hard in that space, the audience kind of leans back and goes, “Oh, this is a lot of information, and it’s not funny.” You have to slowly get the people in the dark to lean forward and figure out what’s going on.

I want (the Bay Street production) to be really heartfelt. … In the beginning, I use some old-time video projections from Psycho, Dracula and Frankenstein, the real movie, as a little homage to those movies. That when you get to your seat, you’re already going down that road of the weird and melodramatic movies of that era. … It was such a great escape at the time. People like to be scared, but because what we have today is really scary, (movies from that time are) sometimes laughable. I think that’s what Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks were trying to do. It’s laughable, but they’re serious about it.

How does the musical’s horror comedy genre influence your choreography for the show?

There’s something about Young Frankenstein. It’s really a spoof on the genre, so that’s how I approach the choreography and the direction that you have to play it: seriously. With a tap-dancing monster, you just got to believe it. You have to play it for real. This monster just came back to life, and they taught him how to tap. It’s absurd, so you just have to just go with it.

What can you tell us about the cast of Young Frankenstein at Bay Street?

The great news is that we got all our first choices. … Matthew Hydzik is the lead, and he’s great. I’ve worked with him before, when I was the director of The Cher Show and he played Gregg Allman. this is a different thing for him completely, and he’s doing a great job. Veanne Cox, I’ve known for a million years, and she is hilarious. Aléna Watters, who’s playing Elizabeth, was Velma Kelly when I choreographed Chicago in Chicago, so I have a few people who I’ve worked with before. Then there’s Kyla Stone, who’s playing Inga, who is new to me. She came in to audition and did what Teri Garr did (in her film portrayal of Inga).

The cast is perfect, and it’s shrunk down, which helps with the piece because you see everybody at the top of the show. … I think that’s part of the fun of it, but also, when there are less people, you see everybody working together for the same goal. I remember seeing it on Broadway, and it was really huge … so I never got close enough to everybody. (The Bay Street cast) is working toward the same goal, the same prize at the end of the evening, and that’s what I love about this company. They work their butts off. Everybody’s moving sets, even the principles are moving sets. Everyone is on board, and there are no shenanigans.

What do you enjoy most about directing musical theater?

I’m very fortunate to be a performer — being a dancer, a singer, an actor, a choreographer and a director. All of it just works in my favor. I’ve been on both sides of it, so when I get to direct, it starts with my vision. … I feel like a chef conjuring this fantastic meal for the audience to taste. Of course, I couldn’t do it without the set, light, projections and sound, and I can change up (these ingredients) and make it perfect in what I feel the audience would want to eat.

Care to share any closing thoughts?

The audience (at Bay Street Theater) is so willing and ready for a great journey. You know what I mean? It’s one of those places that, when you perform there, you’re going, “Oh my God, I can’t wait to do it today.” … And I’m happy to now come back as the director and choreographer there. I’m very excited for it.

Previews for Bay Street Theater’s production of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein: The Musical take place on August 1–2, with the show running August 3–25. For tickets and more information, call 631-725-9500 or visit baystreet.org.