Frankenstein - Lichfield Garrick Review
Post
Subscribe
Tue 08 Oct 2024 - Sat 12 Oct 2024
It is more than 200 years since the teenage Mary Shelley wrote her gothic horror story
Frankenstein, and it clearly still resonates a great deal with audiences today. This splendid adaptation, or reimagining, is the work of Sean Aydon, who both writes and directs the new story while staying largely true to Mary's classic novel. It also owes its stage success to Tilted Wig Productions, founded just seven years ago, and the excellent cast they have put together.
The one major alteration from Mary Shelley's timeless masterpiece, which is currently running at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre in Staffordshire, is the period in which it is set. The play opens in 1943, at the height of World War Two, before the story of the monster's creation is sumptuously told in flashback.
Emily-Jane McNeill as inventor Victoria Frankenstein with Brianne Surgeoner as her assistant Francine. All photos by Robling Photography
The link to the 'war to end all wars' is made painfully clear in Sean Aydon's poignant re-telling. While the driven young scientist Victoria Frankenstein,- in an interesting gender change from Victor - seeks to prolong life for everyone, her search for 'perfection' draws the attention of the government in an obvious parallel to Nazi Germany in WW2.
That aim to create a new breed of 'superhuman', as referred to by government scientist Dr Richter, draws similar Nazi parallels when she tries to remove Frankenstein's so-called 'imperfect' assistant Francine, excellently played by actor and make-up artist Brianne Surgeoner, who was born without arms.
Andy Cresswell stars as 'The Creature'
At the core of Mary Shelley's tale, of course, is Dr Frankenstein and the creature he/she creates - and what an outstanding job that Emily-Jane McNeill and Andy Cresswell respectively bring to their roles. Emily superbly conveys the conflict of wanting a world without sickness, where 'broken parts' can be replaced, only to realise that her creation is not superhuman, but a monster.
And huge credit too to Andy, not least for the hour and a half it takes for his make-up to be applied and removed for every show. But Andy's performance is more than just prosthetics, impressive though the end result is, as he wonderfully conveys the rage and loneliness within the pitiful creature after being thrust into existence.
'The Creature' confronts Henry, played by Tawana Dingembira.
The remainder of the cast is equally adept at bringing new life to Mary Shelley's 208-year-old story, with excellent performances from Lydia Whitehead as Frankenstein's sister Elizabeth, Tawana Dingembira as her friend and fellow scientist Henry, and Basienka Blake in a dual role as Dr Richter and the 'Captain', who appears at both the start and end of the play.
Praise is also due for the outstanding sets, with the opening remote hut where Dr Frankenstein stumbles upon the 'Captain', giving way to the impressive laboratory that dominates the rest of Matthew Parish and Katherine Senior's production.
Dr Frankenstein, right, relates her tale to the 'Captain', played by Basienka Blake
Rating: 5 out of 5
Frankenstein, which is deemed not suitable for under 12s, can be seen at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre until Saturday 12 October. For more information and tickets, visit www.lichfieldgarrick.com or phone 01543 412121.
#theatre_shows
#drama
#theatre review
#performing arts
%wnstaffordshire
295306 - 2024-10-07 15:46:12