Young Frankenstein: Cory English assumes the role of 'Igor'

Cory English plays the role of 'Igor' from 25 Nov 2008 in Mel Brooks Young Frankenstein.

English assumes the role from original cast member Christopher Fitzgerald, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal. Fitzgerald played his final performance on 23 Nov 2008.

English's Broadway credits include 'Gypsy' ('St. Paul' - Replacement: 1989 revival), Guys and Dolls ('Guy': 1992 revival), 'Damn Yankees' (Bubba: 1994 revival), 'Hello, Dolly!' (Barnaby Tucker: 1995 revival) and 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' (Protean: 1996 revival). In the West End, English took the role of 'Mary Sunshine' in 'Chicago,' 'Benny Southstreet' in 'Guys and Dolls' and starred as 'Max Bialystock' in 'The Producers' at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Young Frankenstein opened at the Hilton Theatre on 8 Nov 2007, following previews from 11 Oct. The musical will play its final performance on 4 Jan 2009.

The show opened to mixed, but mostly poor reviews: "If "YF" screams anything, it's shtick!" (NY Theatre Guide); "Leaves you with a monster-size headache." (NY Times); "Isn't the joyous celebration one hoped for." (NY Daily News); "The Broadway musical at its dizziest, glitziest and funniest." (NY Post); "The only thing in stitches is the creature's face." (NewsDay); "Not a great musical, nor even a particularly good one." (Star-Ledger); "It's alive � but just barely." (USA Today); "Bloated, robotic, astonishingly unfunny behemoth has been cobbled together from spare parts" (Time Out NY); "Shrill, misbegotten, deeply cynical enterprise."

Based on the Oscar-nominated 1974 film, Young Frankenstein tells the story of Frederick Frankenstein, a young neurosurgeon who inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback called Igor, a pretty lab assistant named Inga and the old housekeeper, frau Blucher. Young Frankenstein does not believe in the work of his grandfather, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind...

Unfolding in the forbidding Castle Frankenstein and the foggy moors of Transylvania Heights, the show's score includes �We�re the Happiest Town in Town,� "There is Nothing Like The Brain," "The Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and the unforgettable treatment of Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On the Ritz."

Like Mel Brook's 12 times Tony Award winning show 'The Producers,' Young Frankenstein features music & lyrics by Mel Brooks, book by Mel Brooks & Tom Meehan, and is directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman.

The cast for Young Frankenstein currently features Roger Bart (Dr. Frederick Frankenstein), Michele Ragusa (Elizabeth), Kelly Sullivan (Inga), Shuler Hensley (The Monster), Fred Applegate (Kemp), Beth Leavel (Frau Blucher) and Cory English (Igor).

The production also features the same creative team as 'The producers': Robin Wagner(Set Design), William Ivey Long (Costumes) and Peter Kaczorowski (lighting).