FRANKENSTEIN

A very well-crafted piece of theatre, technically excellent, but not an easy play to watch.

There was the lightness of Mary Shelley, the creator of Frankenstein, perhaps not realising the all-encompassing Monster she envisioned, combined with the darkness of Victor Frankenstein and the near madness that engulfed him in creating the Monster, but then not knowing how to control him.  An intriguing piece, but one we had to keep our wits about us for, as the actors portrayed several characters within the play.

I appreciated the continuity of the scenes, the bringing on of props etc was seamless and well-accomplished.

The costumes suited the characters, allowing small changes to designate the different persons, with the one touch of real colour being Mary’s dress, which was lovely. 

Excellent lighting from Dave Houghton and sound from Graham Elliott were integral to making this a super production, with many different effects, and whilst the lighting was gloomy as suited the setting, it never obscured the actors faces, so that we saw all the expressions and angst at all stages.

I liked the use of the central aisle to increase the feeling of space within the production, and there were some shocking moments that kept the imagination fuelled.

Tiana Rogers played Mary Shelley with a confidence and assurance, whilst also maintaining a youthful approach.  Even when the action was not centred around Mary, I noticed that Tiana kept in character and maintained her undoubted stage presence, very well done.

Sam Rowland played the Creature well – his make up was creative and looked interesting.  Sam showed the strong but also slightly softer sides of his character well, I felt the fear emanating from him and also from his adversaries.

Nico Bamford played four roles in total, and certainly made them his own, very different from his usual personas.

Gary Beale also played four roles, and blended in with the rest of the cast nicely, so we got the nuances of each person.

I liked Allanah Rogers portrayal of Elizabeth, Victor’s bride to be, a charming lady, but well-crafted, showing her strength and resolve.  Allanah also covered the part of Saffie, showing a different side to the part in her acting.

Elise Crosby was another multi-role actor, bringing understanding and finesse to each one.

Finally, we had Nathan Marshall as Victor Frankenstein.  A part which allowed him to show the youthful enthusiasm of a young man with a mission, then growing up a bit and trying to understand the terrible nature of his creation.  I liked what he did with the part.

All in all a very striking production, enhanced by some good performances and creative technicals.  A hard watch, but very interesting and engrossing.

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