Theater News -- "Young Frankenstein" Is ALIVE!!!!

The NY Post's Michael Riedel reports that a reading of the next Mel Brooks musical "Young Frankenstein" was a smashing success. Brian D'Arcy James, Sutton Foster, Roger Bart, Kristen Chenoweth and others were all hilarious in the show, which closely follows the movie (a film that is clearly Brooks' masterpiece). Personally, I can't wait to see Cloris Leachman reenact Frau Blucher ("neighhhhh!"). Riedel suggests Matthew Broderick will be disappointed since he thought the Gene Wilder role was his for the taking. I think he'd be great in the role; hopefully he'll be willing to tackle it in LA or for the film version. But at this point, he needs a non-Brooks project to get beyond the hangover both he and Nathan Lane are feeling from their phenomenal success as a team in "The Producers" and (commercially) "The Odd Couple." Meanwhile, "The Grinch" has trimmed its set in red to tie-in to one of its corporate sponsors -- Target. Ugh. And the Twyla Tharp/Bob Dylan musical "The Times They Are A'Changin'" is closing November 19.