York Theatre Royal – until Saturday 28th October 2023
Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
4****
York Theatre Royal’s current show is Frankenstein. Presented to the stage by Tilted Wig, written and directed by Sean Aydon. It is a new thriller, inspired by the classic novel by Mary Shelley.
Set in Germany during World War II, the stage is set with a hut, which appears to be in the middle of nowhere. A lone women enters in from the cold, until she is interrupted by a relentless banging on her door. With gun at the ready she opens the door to find a younger woman, cold and hungry, begging for food and a place to rest. The mistrust is thick in the air, but she lets her enter and shares what meagre rations she has. The young woman is troubled, and the reason for her predicament unfolds. Her name is Dr Victoria Frankenstein (Eleanor McLoughlin), and she has created a monster and must find him before he can inflict more damage.
The set unfolds to reveal Frankenstein’s laboratory. With racks of shelving soaring high into air, full of large glass specimen jars, a bed set in the middle of the room. What we soon learn is how Frankenstein ended up in that remote cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Frankenstein is a brilliant biologist who wants to create the perfect specimen, stronger and more resilient. To achieve this, she collects mis-matched body parts from the recently deceased, or soon to be deceased, to create this perfect being. With the help of her loyal assistant Francine (Annette Hannah) and the natural power of electricity from a thunderstorm, they manage to bring the creature (Cameron Robertson) to life, if only for a brief moment. Elated they both leave the room but on return he has gone. The true horror of their genetic experiments is then revealed.
What comes out of this adaptation can be quite uncomfortable at times. The interaction between Frankenstein and Dr Richter (Basienka Blake, who also plays the woman in the hut), is truly chilling, wanting to create the perfect race, and unfortunately, we know this ideology existed and still exists to this day. The disdain shown by Richter for Francine and Frankenstein’s partner, Henry (Dale Mathurin), is abhorrent, because they are different to her ideal.
McLoughlin is superb as the frantic Frankenstein, relentless in her goal to succeed and then desperate in her need to fix her mistake. With his distorted body and great physicality, Robertson is The Creature. Even though his deeds are detestable, you can’t help but have sympathy for him, everyone is petrified of him, and he is so lonely. Completing the cast of six is Lula Marsh as Frankenstein’s adopted sister.
This adaptation of Frankenstein has shaken things up, a diverse cast, with a female taking the title role, a person of colour and another with dwarfism. With the thought of genetics and how they could be engineered is quite shocking. It raises the question, just because you can, should you really be messing around with nature?
This show is not afraid to shock. For much of the performance you couldn’t hear a pin drop. It’s very raw and stripped back. Very thought provoking. Perfect for the Halloween season.