A concise roundup of reviews and information regarding theatrical performances in London

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell once said about the Iraqi conflict, “If you break something, you own it!”. Recent history has shown clearly that significant actions carry serious and far-reaching consequences. I could not help feeling how Powell’s comment could have been very aptly directed at Victor Frankenstein.  What Danny Boyle’s bold production at the Olivier Theatre vividly shows is how foolish it is for anyone to believe that actions do not carry consequences. 

Nick Dear’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s gothic novel in fact hardly features Victor in the first half of the play. We see him briefly as a distant spectator while the Creature comes to life only to recoil in horror and run away in shame after realising he has created a “monster”. The focus then shifts entirely to the Creature as he struggles to integrate into a hostile world that judges people by their outward appearance.

Although Victor is clearly the Creator, It is the rest of society that bring about the Creature’s  transformation into a spiteful, bitter and revengeful being. Only a blind farmer can see beyond the Creature’s monstrous disfigurement and takes it upon himself to impart human knowledge and culture. Yet despite his incredible ability to grapple with various intellectual concepts, one question continues to elude the Creature, “Why was I abandoned by my creator?”. It is his burning desire to answer to answer his existential questioning that compels him to seek out his Creator in Geneva. When he does come face to face with his Creator he has one request “give me a companion”. It is ironic that a novel so devoid of the presence of God and the spiritual is so replete with biblical references and allusions.

Jonny Lee Miller plays Victor as a very strong self-centred character, completely engrossed in his own scientific research at the expense of others, even his own family. He embodies the duality of a person able to create both beauty and monstrosity (angels and demons) and yet ultimately frustrated by his obsessive pursuit of perfection.  His passion for science is admirable but his inability to take responsibility for his actions is abhorrent. He is a cold-hearted man who has none of the passions his own creation exhibits. On the other hand Benedict Cumberbatch plays the Creature with great skill and supreme physicality. His child-like innocence brings out his “humanity” despite his grotesque outward appearance. Watching him come to life and learn to articulate his body was breathtaking and one of the best opening scenes in a theatrical production I have ever seen.

Visually the production is spectacular despite the simplicity of its staging. The underlying force of electricity that provides the spark for the Creature’s life is cleverly embodied by the enormous light installation above the stage that pulses with energy throughout the production. Danny Boyle’s love of music and sound is also used throughout to great effect. Moreover, the idea of alternating the actors in the roles of the Creature and Creator works a treat. Not only is it a very clever marketing ploy but it has also underlined the idea of the creature created in his creator’s image. It has also allowed the actors to fuse elements of both characters together superbly to demonstrate this. I would also say that the alternating of roles has had a positive effect on the chemistry between these two brilliant young actors.

Anyone watching this production expecting a gothic horror play will be sorely disappointed. What the audience gets is a tender and rich morality play, dazzling in its visual design, moving in its soundscape, compelling in its argument and above all beautifully acted by its two protagonists. The adaptation may be sketchy in its retelling of the original novel and some of the supporting actors are nowhere near as strong as Miller and Cumberbatch but Boyle has managed to bring this familiar tale back to life and the production is a definite highlight of this season.

This review appeared in the Sunday Times of Malta on 10/04/11