Frankenstein

As soon as you entered the Daneside, you were fully immersed in Congleton Players’ production of ‘Frankenstein’, with animatronics, created by Jack Threlfall, placed throughout the foyer space. This created a sense of intrigue, as you felt like you had entered Frankenstein’s laboratory. Robin Jackson made his directorial debut with this production. Robin’s overall vision for the play was certainly realised. The direction was strong throughout and well though through. Each character was clearly defined. The staging was inventive, with a structure built that offered the potential to create different levels. This structure was split into thirds, with the stage left and right third covered with gauze, which when lit would create the interior settings. This was a fantastic way of ensuring the pace was kept high throughout the production. When entering the auditorium, the audience were met with an embryotic structure that pulsated and finally birthed the Creature. Projections were used to further enhance the scenes and create new locations. There was a catwalk from the stage entering the audience. This brought a new dimension to the production, as it helped bring the audience closer to the action. The costumes for this production were very good. They invoked the different social classes of the character throughout, and were suitable for the time period. Congratulations to Glynis Aldred and Louise Wright for your work. The prosthetics, created by Jack Threlfall, were fantastic. They further added to the characters of the Creature and Female Creature, creating a grotesque outer appearance. Well done to Jack for creating them.

The technical aspects further enhanced the production. The projections were well created (the burning of De Lacey’s home was so well done) and complimented the scenes very well. The lighting and sound designs were very good throughout as well. The blinding light at the end of the production as Frankenstein and his Creature continued their journey was an impactful way to end the performance.

Sam Hands gave a performance of his life as the Creature. An absolute tour-de-force of a performance. From the moment Sam entered, he had the audience in the palm of his hand. From the child-like innocence, we saw Sam’s Creature grow, learn and question his existence. Sam’s physicality was a marvel to watch. From the movements of the Creature’s birth to the strength displayed when going up and down the pole, Sam was able to show the physical development of the Creature so well. This was an outstanding performance.

Michael Shneck matched Sam’s performance as Victor Frankenstein. Michael gave a detached character, who was obsessed with the Creature and what he had created. There was coldness to Michael’s character, which worked extremely well. You were unsure whether you were meant to be in awe of this man who created life, or hate him. This was a very strong performance from Michael.

Sophie Williams did well as Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor’s fiancée. There was a good partnership with Michael, as Sophie tried to get through to him. Sophie got across the initial horror of seeing the Creature, followed by an almost admiration of what Frankenstein had created. The assault of Elizabeth was executed well by both Sophie and Sam.

Chris Brady offered strong support as De Lacey, giving an enjoyable performance. Chris was able to show the kindness and genuine sincerity of the character, which nicely juxtaposed against the opinions of others towards the Creature.

John Beech and Laura Beech played Felix and Agatha. They performed well together, creating a good family unit with Chris. Their repulsion of the Creature was performed well.

Amanda Jackson gave an engaging performance as Female Creature. The choreographed sequence with Sam was performed well, and Amanda’s physicality throughout was very good.

Barnaby Thomas did very well as Frankenstein’s younger brother, William. Barnaby performed the death of William very well, working well with Sam’s Creature. This was a confident performance from this young performer.

Arthur Wedgbury impressed as Rab. He was confident and secure in what he was doing. Arthur delivered the darkly comic lines well and very naturally. He had a good Scottish accent that he sustained throughout.

There was a big ensemble, which all worked well together and added to the overall feeling of the production. Some of the ensemble played different characters throughout. Well done to Julie Cowper (Gretel and Servant), Miles Cooke (Gustav), Andrew Salmon (Klaus and Ewan), Angela McIntyre (Clarice), Matt Butler (Monsieur Frankenstein) and Daniel Anderson (Constable and Servant) for your work, and helping to move the story along with your performances. Even before the performance began, the ensemble was being used, milling through the auditorium and foyer as laboratory assistants. They were all in character from the moment the audience entered the theatre. Appearing throughout in various guises, the all members of the ensemble were invested in telling the story. It was great to see a wide range of ages in the ensemble, something that is so important to theatre. All working together for the same purpose – to create an exciting piece of theatre. Well done all!

Overall, this was an outstanding production. All the elements fell into place, with inventive staging, an outstanding central performance ably supported by a strong ensemble, and secure direction.

A big thank you to everyone at Congleton Players for their kind invite and their hospitality. All the best for your next production, ‘Calendar Girls’, later this year.

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