‘Young Frankenstein’ comes to life at UM with Mel Brooks’ signature comedy

A black-and-white stage scene shows a lab setting with a man in a white coat raising his arms over a figure lying on a table, while two other characters in goggles stand nearby.

In the University of Miami’s production of 'Young Frankenstein' at the Jerry Herman Theatre student performers bring Mel Brooks’ signature blend of horror parody and physical comedy to the stage.

By Coral Gables Gazette staff

It’s alive — and it arrives in Coral Gables this month.

The University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts brings Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein to the Jerry Herman Theatre, with performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 17 & 18, and then April 25. The production features UM Theatre Arts students in roles made famous by the 1974 film and continues a longstanding collaboration with the Friends of Theatre, who have supported the program for more than 50 years.

The production continues UM’s tradition of staging full-scale musicals that connect student performers with the broader Coral Gables arts community.

A Mel Brooks classic reimagined for the stage

The show follows Frederick Frankenstein — grandson of the infamous Victor — who inherits the family estate in Transylvania and, despite his best intentions, finds himself drawn into the family business. Aided by his hunchbacked assistant Igor (pronounced, insistently, “Eye-gore”) and his resourceful lab assistant Inga, Frederick sets out to reanimate a creature of his own. The result is the brand of controlled chaos that defined Brooks’ original film: physical comedy, running gags, and escalating absurdity.

From film to Broadway musical

Brooks developed the stage adaptation with co-writer Thomas Meehan, and the musical debuted on Broadway in 2007. The production retains the film’s comic structure while expanding it with a full score of original songs that lean into the conventions of classic horror for comedic effect.

A campus stage with a long tradition

The Jerry Herman Theatre, named for the Tony Award-winning composer and UM alumnus, has served for decades as the home of the university’s theatre program. Student productions there function as both training ground and public performance space, regularly drawing audiences from beyond the campus.

Performances are scheduled for Friday, April 17 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are available at web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/1871. The box office can be reached at theatre@miami.edu or 305-284-3355.