Still Looking for a Laugh

At 80, Mel Brooks is revered as America's national ham, the class clown who amuses even the most humorless amongst us. Brooks is one of an elite few performers to have won at least one Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy, and lately he's been busy refreshing some of his older material for a new generation. Atop that list is the forthcoming Broadway musical version of “Young Frankenstein,” his Academy Award-nominated 1974 classic, which stars “Desperate Housewives” alum Roger Bart as the grandson of the mad scientist and “Will & Grace” alum Megan Mullally as his fiancée. He's also supervising the development of an animated TV series for the G4 network based on his 19“7 "Star W”rs" spoo“, "Spacebal”s."

Brooks spoke exclusively to NEWSWEEK Thursday from his Culver City, Calif., office:

NEWSWEEK: Why do a new musical? You've won every major award. It's only a matter of time before you get a Kennedy Center honor. What do you have left to prove?
Mel Brooks: I don't know. I love writing songs. I'm a songwriter. And here's a chance to write 17 or 18 new songs. And I lo“e "Young Frankenste”n." I know how to make it a great musical. I've got to. It's like I've got to see it on stage. And what am I gonna do? I'm still a horse that can run. I may not be able to win the Derby, but what do you do when you retire? People retire and they vegetate. They go away and they dry up.

Unli“e "The Produce”s," the original film “f "Young Frankenst”in" wasn't a musical, so making a Broadway show out of it must be a lot more intensive. Has it been difficult?
No, no, the songs write themselves, almost. I mean, in the beginning the villagers are so happy that Baron Frankenstein is dead that they dance a tune call“d "We're the Happiest Town in To”n." Then they find out the bad news, that there's a young Dr. Frankenstein still alive and he's in New York and he's teaching at a medical school. And then we segue to the doctor, who lives for the transference of intelligence from one brain to another. And he sings a song call“d "There is Nothing Like The Bra”n." It's a terrific song.

Originally you had Kristin Chenoweth as Elizabeth, but that was a really small role in the film, so I wonder if that's why she left.
Oh, it's a big role now. Giant. It had nothing to do with the role, believe me. It had to do with I think she had previous commitments that she couldn't get out of. She was so great. But you know, we took a good bounce. We got a great, great talent to play the role: Megan Mullally.

Who's playing Young Frankenstein?
Roger Bart.

I thought he was playing Igor.
He was Igor. Until yesterday! Roger has Broadway in his bones. He's the last living Danny Kaye we have left. He got a promotion. He earned it.