Rona Munro’s stage adaptation of gothic horror story Frankenstein is a foreboding tale that serves as a stark warning of the dangers of man deciding to play God. The gothic fantasy story is brought to life in a brand new production where Munro incorporates 18 year old writer Mary Shelley (Eilidh Loan) as the driving force behind the story as she frantically writes in between narrating the story that brings her horrifying creations to life on stage.
When Rona Munro was first asked to think about adapting Frankenstein, her first thought was “it’s been done.” And it has been done – the novel has been adapted for stage, for screen, for animation, for graphic novels….. However the power of this particular story is so great that is has been reproduced in hundreds of incarnations without ever losing its ability to unsettle an audience.
Eilidh Loan gives an animated performance of Mary Shelley, dressed in a long black leather coat which emphasises the modern gothic style of the show.
We see her wrestling with the creative process as she tries to finish her story and explain her frenetic thought processes as the action unfolds on stage.
At times her frantic, shouty tone was a little grating however her strong delivery as she interrupts and narrates throughout the plot commanded the stage. Loan’s frequent monologues had the audience’s attention with plenty of humour through her delivery.
Ben Castle Gibb plays the gifted scientist Mr Frankenstein, relentless in his pursuit of scientific discoveries which leads him to create The Monster (Michael Moreland).
Almost immediately, Frankenstein rejects him, horrified, and driven by isolation and rage, The Monster soon embarks on a blood thirsty, murderous hunt for revenge on his creator.
Frankenstein, on realising the terrifying consequences, tries to right his wrongs by bringing an end to The Monster and the suffering he is creating. The struggle between both characters as they embark on a cat and mouse chase is frenetic and exciting with enough tension built throughout the plot to its climatic ending.
The fall from grace for Frankenstein as he becomes more desperate and distraught as The Monster spirals out of control was given a measured delivered by Gibb.
However the development of the softer side of each character could be given more time to allow the audience to empathise more with the deep rooted hurt and rejection driving the violence from The Monster and the overwhelming regret from Frankenstein realising what he has created.
The more tender scenes where Moreland in particular gave an emotional performance as the crushed and rejected Monster felt a tad rushed. Fans of the horror genre may also be a little disappointed at the quite understated scare factor despite some clever lighting and sound effects.
The creation of The Monster could also be a little scarier – he looked more like a man who had a rough Christmas night out rather than a terrifying creature.
The two–storey set kept the action moving on stage with white trees disguising step ladders for the characters to transition from top to bottom with monochrome design and plenty of lighting and smoke machines to create an eerie atmosphere.
It felt modern and new without losing the essense of the story from the novel.
Frankenstein is playing at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 30th November.