NILES — “Young Frankenstein” gets Trumbull New Theatre’s 2023-24 season off to a laugh-filled debut.

Director Liz Conrad and her creative team do some inventive, clever work to make the show fit in the performance space. The set unfolds and contorts into different configurations to meet all of the demands of the story. It also looks beautiful under the lighting design of Ellen Licitra, who had bars of light positioned in places where I’ve never noticed them before at TNT to create certain moods.

Conrad assembled a talented cast that has the comedic chops the show requires, and she has them executing those physical bits and one-liners with impeccable timing.

The Mel Brooks musical is based on his 1974 movie of the same name, a spoof of the 1931 horror film “Frankenstein.” It is the second of his movies that Brooks turned into a musical.

While its Broadway run paled in comparison to “The Producers,” this is at least the third time I’ve seen the show, and it never fails to entertain.

It’s a crowd pleaser, and the TNT cast and crew do Brooks proud.

The cast is uniformly strong, but there were several standouts. Ronald E. Aulet was a manic delight as Igor, scampering across the stage and delivering one comedic barb after another. He also was part of the set design team with Conrad and Brett Bunker.

Emelia Sherin was a bawdy treat as Victor Frankenstein’s fiancee, Elizabeth. She played the character with the mix of vanity and bravado the role demands, and her two big numbers, “Please Don’t Touch Me” and “Deep Love,” were musical highlights.

Kaleb Lovewell, who also played the Monster when the Youngstown Playhouse did the show in 2017, proves he isn’t just getting this role because of his size. He brings personality and humanity to a character who communicates for most of the show only through grunts and growls.

He is nimble on his feet in the dance number accompanying “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” nicely choreographed by Deb Lavelle. Lovewell and Tyler Moliterno perform a hilarious pas de deux of physical comedy in a scene where the monster encounters a blind, lonely hermit. No one is listed for makeup in the program, but whoever created his look also deserves some credit for the effectiveness of the character.

Paul Dahman (Victor Frankenstein) and Rachael Conrad (as his assistant Inga) had a strong rapport in their scenes together. Cat Smith displayed one of the strongest voices in the cast as Frau Blucher (insert sound of neighing horses) on “He Vas My Boyfriend.”

Music director Rosie Bresson conducted the three-piece band. The fact that TNT was able to fit a big musical and actual musicians on its stage with its financial resources should make those who rely too often on prerecorded tracks a bit embarrassed.

Once again, I’ll quote Neil Young — “Live music is better. Bumper stickers should be issued.”

That said, there were times the music overwhelmed the vocalists (which also can happen with prerecorded tracks). Most of the actors were wearing microphones, but they didn’t seem to have much impact on some of the vocal numbers.

“Young Frankenstein” isn’t the kind of show where audiences leave humming the songs. They exist, like everything else in Brooks’ world, as joke-delivery vehicles. He embeds as many one-liners and double entendres in the lyrics as he does in the dialogue, so it’s a shame some of the singers couldn’t be heard better.

Hopefully, that was an opening night problem that will be fixed during the run. Regardless, no one left the show Friday laughter-deprived.

If you go …

WHAT: “Young Frankenstein”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 24

WHERE: Trumbull New Theatre, 5883 Youngstown-Warren Road, Niles

HOW MUCH: $20 adults and $18 students. Tickets are available online at trumbullnewtheatre.tix.com and by calling the TNT box office between 7 and 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.