It is doubtful that I qualify to be called “Young Frankenstein”, but there have been several times in my younger years that I have played the part. But since I have been married, I have rarely performed in roles other than as motivational speaker, teacher, and Scoutmaster. My kids have never really seen me on stage, yet I have faithfully attended the majority of their performances and stage plays. In fact, I can count on both hands the number of individual shows that I have missed.

So it was with great enthusiasm that my Leavitt Family stage debut was met with my wife and kids. Let me explain first. This is the third year that I have been cast as the understudy for “Melvin the Monster” in “Hotel Frankenstein.” This local show is the longest running stage play in Utah, now with 29 consecutive years. Bob Grant has wonderfully played the role of the monster for years and fans have come to love his performances. The part was written in after the fact to spice up the play, and with less than 10 minutes of actual stage time it is not a dominating role. Yet, when performed the way Bob does it, it really enhances the overall play.

Three years ago Jessica played the role of Miriam Woodknocker, which blossomed into a second year that she brought along our youngest son Aaron as her little brother Junior Woodknocker and her fiancé/husband Dave Dixon as the Wolfman. This year only Aaron continued on with the show, and faithfully each year I have accepted the invitation to understudy as Frankenstein (referred to as Melvin to protect his real Frankenstein identity).

The very first year they asked me to understudy in the role, I was excited. I was invited first because I knew the Director, I was Jessica’s Dad, I was taller than the current Frankenstein performer, and I already had the spiky hair. In fact, I was a perfect fit. Sure I was lacking 5 inch platform shoes in a size 15, green face paint, as well as the needed neck bolts and ancient wrist cuffs with broken chains; but those could easily be acquired. What I didn't realize then was that Bob Grant (the actor playing the monster role) never missed a performance in many many years, so my enthusiasm faded coming to realize that I was never to see the lights of the stage wearing green face paint and platforms. Year two also came and went with my graciously accepting the invitation to understudy and never being in a performance. You can imagine my giggling disposition as I once again accepted the assignment this third season knowing that it was an assignment in name only with no hope of coming to fruition.

INVITATION - Last Tuesday Shelly said that Bob Grant had called for me and I thought... “Maybe this is my big break!” Still giggling, I knew that was never going to really happen. Later that evening Bob called again saying, “Michael, I promised my wife that I would take her camping over UEA weekend, not realizing that I had two performances. Do you think you could cover one of them and allow me to keep my promise?” I quickly responded that he should take both nights off and really make a fun trip of it, to which he was both shocked and pleased. He accepted my idea, and yet all the while,I just knew that he would change his mind and keep his perfect attendance streak going.

Bob committed to come by the next morning with part of the costume that I needed, and with that I hung up the phone wondering how I would fill the role. Would it really come to pass? Would Bob really go camping? Would I really need to make 5” platforms? I put it on the back burner, waiting to see if Bob would really come by as planned and hand over the needed jacket, wrist cuffs, rope and chains. To my amazement, he did come by and bestow me with the mantle of responsibility for the Thursday and Friday performances and we had a wonderful discussion about the intricacies of his performance.

PERSONAL CONFESSION - Let me confess to the pressure that I was feeling. I did not doubt that I could have a great time creating my costume, persona, and perform the role flawlessly. The pressure I felt was the need to carry on the success of the role to the point that people did not wish that Bob was there those nights instead of me. I did not want them to want me more; I just wanted the repeat annual attendees to walk out remembering how great it was in the years prior and how great it was this year as well. My dream was to have people walk out saying that they enjoyed seeing me in the character every year. If they were to think it was still Bob Grant in the role, that was okay by me (I realize that was unrealistic on my part, but that is really what I was trying to accomplish). What I dreaded was the thought that people would walk out wishing that they had seen Bob instead of this deplorable newbie covering in Bob’s absence. This would be the same feelings I have felt myself last season after seeing the same play with somebody else playing the role of Igor for one night instead of Tyler Renstrom (He is incredible in the role).

FAMILY APPREHENSIONS - It was really weird because I never really gave much thought to how my family felt about me playing the role. It turns out that each was stressing for me because they did not know of my inner confidence. Later they expressed their fears that I would flop, yet afterwards Haily was heard to be frustrated with the realization that “There really isn’t anything that Dad is not great at!” Shelly told me this and it was as though the entire family thought I was scared to perform. All Haily knew was that I had passed on several role offers in the plays they had been involved with in the past couple of years. What Haily did not know is that I always refused the offers because of the guilt that I have felt over the way my business has dwindled in this down economy. Donating time to a 6 week play run when I needed to be figuring out how to bring in more money seemed like an irresponsible decision. The kids obviously did not realize this, as they thought I just either couldn’t act or wasn’t comfortable in the limelight.

OPENING NIGHT - Was I stressed on opening night? You betcha! My first scene was solo on the stage for about 4 minutes as I was to find a date in the audience, dance with another woman, steal some booze, and kidnap a little one, all after just breaking out of my chains in the dungeon and racing away for freedom. Without anything more than the ability to grunt and groan, while relying upon body language and facial expressions, I was either going to be the success of the evening, or the biggest flop in the last 29 years. The scene also involved an well-timed cell phone call from Adam sitting on the second row, featuring my finding a ringing cell phone in my coat jacket while I had to figure out how to use the modern technology. The scary part of the solo on the stage dealt with the fear of my mind going blank. If blank-mindedness did overtake me, then there was really nobody in the script that could rescue me in front of the large crowd in the theater in the round. So the stress was building as I rehearsed the plot in my mind while practicing facial expressions in the mirror of the dressing room of the theater.