'Frankenstein' seeks home

Musical might take up 'Queen's' stage

By GORDON COX

Brooks

The latest tuner from Mel Brooks, "Young Frankenstein," has sparked a flurry of Rialto rumors just as Brooks' earlier hit, "The Producers," shuttered April 22.

"Frankenstein" -- which legiters anticipate will be a "Producers"-style cash cow, with Sutton Foster, Megan Mullally and Shuler Hensley in negotiations to star -- was slated to follow "The Producers" into the St. James Theater. But now word on the street has "Frankenstein" setting its sights on the Hilton, the home of the critically pummeled entry from the "Les Miserables" creatives, "The Pirate Queen."

Broadway etiquette frowns on showpeople talking on the record about the next tenant of a theater housing a production that has not yet announced a closing date.

Still, Rialto denizens quietly confirmed that "Frankenstein," which aims to open on Halloween, is indeed the backup candidate at the Hilton. The size of the physical production of "Frankenstein" has made the larger stage of the Hilton more desirable than the St. James space.

If "Pirate Queen" -- whose sales are not dire, especially given the reviews -- plays beyond Labor Day, it could delay the timeline of "Frankenstein."

Weekly grosses for "Pirate Queen" had risen steadily since previews began March 6 (it opened April 5). But last week, the box office dipped by about $64,000 to $693,236.

If sales continue to fall, and if for two consecutive weeks they dip below a minimum sales figure negotiated with theater owners Live Nation, then Live Nation would have the right to boot "Queen" in favor of the potential hit "Frankenstein."

The "Queen" camp had no comment.

"Frankenstein" reteams the creators of "The Producers" -- composer-lyricist-scribe Brooks, co-book writer Tom Meehan and helmer-choreographer Susan Stroman -- for another adaptation of a Brooks movie. Among the likely cast members, Foster would play Inga (Teri Garr in the 1974 pic), Mullally would take on Elizabeth (the Madeline Kahn role) and Hensley would portray the monster (the Peter Boyle part).

If the venue switcheroo happens, "Frankenstein" not only will gain stage space but also about 200 more sellable seats, to capitalize on what is anticipated to be a high ticket demand. The Hilton, often described as "barn-like," seats more than 1,800, vs. the St. James' 1,623.