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Review: Young Frankenstein @ Hope Mill Theatre
Monstrous comedy, musical mayhem and pure fun
Young Frankenstein @ Hope Mill Theatre what a night
I went into Young Frankenstein with high hopes I’ve always loved the original film and I was curious to see how it would translate to the stage in a smaller venue. A pre-show pizza and drink at the Hope Mill Theatre set the tone perfectly. It’s a fantastic little theatre: tucked away, quirky, relaxed, and with the sort of atmosphere that makes you feel part of the night before anything even starts.
What unfolded on stage was one of the most entertaining theatre experiences I’ve had in a while slapstick, silly, confident, clever and packed with energy.
🎬 The show
This revival brings the spooky camp spirit of Mel Brooks’ film to life with a mix of absurd comedy, slapstick, horror movie parody and musical theatre flamboyance. The story follows Dr Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronkensteen”), who inherits his infamous grandfather’s castle, reanimates a monster, and sends Transylvania into chaos.
The show leans heavily into humour and pace, bouncing between outrageous musical numbers, innuendo, physical comedy and knowingly ridiculous horror tropes. It’s big, loud and knowingly daft and it’s done with real affection for the source material.
👏 Performances
- Frederick was charismatic, energetic and perfectly unhinged in the best possible way.
- Igor stole the show every time he appeared physical, manic and hilarious.
- Inga, Elizabeth, Frau Blücher and the ensemble leaned into the chaos with total commitment, squeezing every possible laugh from the material.
- The Monster was a fantastic blend of menace, confusion and charm especially in the iconic “Puttin’ on the Ritz” number, which brought the house down.
🧟 Comedy, camp and musical chaos
What makes this production sing (sometimes literally) is its clarity of tone. It knows exactly what it is: knowingly silly, proudly ridiculous, and full of theatrical mischief.
At the same time, it delivers big musical numbers with precision and a surprising amount of heart. The show moves quickly, rarely giving you a chance to catch your breath between laughs or songs.
🏭 The Hope Mill Theatre experience
Hope Mill is, quite simply, one of the best little theatre venues in Manchester. It really is one of my favourite places to go.
- Small, intimate and brilliantly atmospheric
- Quirky industrial chic vibe
- Run by passionate volunteers who genuinely care about the place
- A welcoming bar and kitchen that serve decent pizza, drinks and snacks
- A casual, easygoing vibe that makes the whole night feel relaxed
It’s the kind of venue that makes you want to support live theatre more often because it’s personal, it’s local, and it has a real heartbeat.
⚠️ Minor caveats
A couple of jokes feel a little old-fashioned or too silly but honestly, that’s part of the charm.
If you’re not on board with camp humour, innuendo and surreal musical comedy, this won’t change your mind.
✅ Final thoughts
Young Frankenstein at Hope Mill Theatre is an absolute joy its funny, frantic, knowing and delivered with total commitment.
If you love the film, it’s a treat. If you love musical comedy, even better. And if you just want a fun night out in one of Manchester’s most charming theatre spaces, with pizza, drinks and a monster that tap dances and you’ll leave grinning.
It’s alive. And it’s an absolute blast.
Go see it and if you get chance get yourself to Hope Mill Theatre.
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