Frankenstein is currently on tour around the UK and I was lucky enough to be able to catch it at the final night at Malvern.
This is actually a brand new play written by Rona Munro. I had seen a version of Frankenstein a couple of years ago which followed quite closely to the Boris Karloff film from the 1930's, and I have of course seen many TV and film versions over the years, so I did wonder if there would be anything a new version could add. What Rona has done is to introduce a new character. A new character that we actually already know. Mary Shelley. Yes, that Mary Shelley. The one who wrote the book. And it is a very good addition. We now go on the journey with her. The play actually follows the original book much more closely than any of the film adaptations, but Mary show us the way. She is narrator and storyteller. We see into her mind as she creates the characters, creates the scenarios, tries to scare us. We get to delve into her motivations and learn why the characters act like they do. She gives us the reasons behind why the story is like it is and why they can't be a happy ending.
You may be pleased to know as well that the monster doesn't look like the old Universal Studios creation with bolts through the neck. He is very much more human, which if you are building a creation from human parts you would expect really. However he is no less terrifying because of this, in fact it makes him more so.
The set is really well designed. The action takes place on two floors with trees growing between them which the actors climb up and down from to great effect. To me the trees double as firing brain synapses and neurons, which I'm pretty sure is intentional, but if not then a happy accident.
The cast comprises of relative newcomers with a couple of long standing professionals.
Eilidh Loan plays Mary Shelley in her professional stage debut and you wouldn't know it at all. She has an air of authority about her and commands the stage and audience with great skill. Ben Castle-Gibb plays Victor Frankenstein and really shows us the creator's tortured side and is as equally believable as the work hungry student. Michael Moreland plays the Monster. No stranger to TV and Film screens, Michael has also performed extensively on the stage. He is fabulous as the monster and of course in any production of Frankenstein, the monster will steal the show. In particular his scenes with Ben really spark. When he follows the unaware Victor and Elizabeth he is truly terrifying. Talking to Michael after the show is strange as it doesn't seem like the same person I've seen on stage for the last two hours. There is a real transformation. The rest of the characters in the play are played by the remaining four actors who each play multiple roles. Greg Powrie is another great stage and screen actor who plays the father of Frankenstein. Thierry Mabonga is Victor's friend Henry, the ship's captain and Victor's younger brother and does very well in easily convincing us of each character. Natali McCleary plays Elizabeth with grace and Sarah MacGillivray plays Justine with innocence and vulnerability.
As regular readers will know, I always like to get my programme signed and this was one of my easiest ever. 15 minutes after the play finished I had all seven signatures and was back in the car driving home. Every cast member was lovely and I got to have a little chat and a photograph with Eilidh.
To sum up, this play does add new life into a familiar tale. It was one of the books I studied for my A-Levels, and it's still a regular on exam reading lists now. As I said earlier it is quite close to the book, so if you are studying it for school or college it may just spark some interest for you.
The play is currently touring and has a couple of months to go, so if you're near to somewhere staging it, it is well worth checking out.
Let Eilidh bring Frankenstein to life for you!
Check out this link for venues:
You can also see some great photos on their social media pages by searching for @frankplayUK .
Comments