Review: Frankenstein (Touring)

Tuesday, 24th October 2023 at York Theatre Royal.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein really is one of the greats, and it takes vision to adapt it for the stage as Séan Aydon adapts and directs this production from Tilted Wig Theatre. Here we have a lens shift to consider more recent and current ideas such as eugenics and the role of scientific progress when it comes to war and weaponry, alongside gender-switching the central role. So while Aydon’s take does make significant alterations and generous cuts, it also ensures that Shelley’s original meditations on the nature of humanity and science are left intact, even if they are bravely condensed.

We begin as many Frankenstein productions begin: Dr Frankenstein is out in the wilderness, seeking to undo past wrongs. Stumbling across another lone soul who has many questions, the story really begins…Less run of the mill however is the fact that this Dr Frankenstein is a Victoria rather than Victor. Eleanor McLoughlin is a force of nature at the heart of the piece, offering a work-orientated mastermind without offering any notions of unhinged obsession; this is a fascination with what science can achieve. It seems to be a refreshing choice to view the story with a focus on an unnatural “mother” figure and it’s also notable that it highlights a sound example of a very bright woman (albeit flawed) in the field of science, where women are notoriously overlooked.

Francine is the assistant of dreams in the hands of Annette Hannah: efficient, principled and almost as passionate as her boss when it comes to this experiment. She also delivers an additional, moving layer to the story as she herself experiences prejudice in an unforgiving world of ignorance. Dale Mathurin’s Henry provides a likeable colleague and love interest to Frankenstein while Lula Marsh is perfectly perky as the sister, Elizabeth – off-setting Victoria’s more practical, focused nature.

Basienka Blake covers Captain and Richter as polar opposites: the gritty survivor and the privileged and stubborn Government mouthpiece. And as for Frankenstein’s famous monster? He is brought to life with a fitting blend of victimhood and defiance by Cameron Robertson, whose impassioned speech demands emotional engagement, and whose laboured physicality (movement director: Stephen Moynihan) hammers home not just “otherness”, but the physical pain he endures constantly.

Nicky Bunch’s set provides a backdrop of mysterious lit display jars and a looming window overlooking proceedings, giving way to that iconic visual of the life-giving thunderbolt. Huge kudos must also go to Matt Haskins for breaking the frustrating cycle of gothicism must = a permanent soporific dusk on stage. Haskins strikes out beautifully, providing bright, almost optimistic lighting in the fateful lab before guiding us through the more impactful moments of true darkness with plenty of shadows and smoke.

You won’t find this piece falling into the trap of reciting pages of dense prose from the original – and that does at times feel like a bit of a shame, losing out on some of the more powerful lyricism of Shelley’s writing (particularly when it comes to the exchanges between inventor and creation). But in its place, we are given a modernised script which entertains with moments of humour and sentiment, and engages for the duration while still taking the time to highlight some of the best moments of Shelley’s beautiful writing. It doesn’t reach the depths of gothic mastery as the original, but this is a refreshing take on Shelley’s brilliantly arresting and disturbing novel.

Frankenstein is at York Theatre Royal until 28th October 28th 2023 – more information and tickets can be found here. The show then continues its tour until November 2023 and more information can be found here.