Remember studying Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' in school in falling in love with it, its prose, the unforgettable characters, the atmosphere and individual scenes like the scene with Felix. Of the film incarnations and Frankenstein/creature pairings, my favourites will always be Colin Clive/Boris Karloff ('Bride of Frankenstein' being even better than their 1931 original film) and Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee.
It was very interesting to me hearing that 'Frankenstein' had been adapted to stage, part of me was conflicted as to whether that particular book would translate well to stage. The casting of Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch as Frankenstein and the creature was interesting to say the least. But being someone who loves going to the National Theatre Live productions and find the series fascinating, decided to cast any reservations aside. And am very glad about making that decision, as it turned out to be surprisingly excellent.
Did think though that the supporting cast were not on the same level as the leads. The exceptions being Naomie Harris' sincere Elizabeth and the touching Felix of Daniel Millar. Do agree that William was pretty feeble.
On the other hand, there is a lot right with this 'Frankenstein'. There is a lot of atmosphere in the sets and lighting, dark and gothic without being too austere. Given full impact by the skillful photography that is cinematic worthy even. The dark and poignant drama of the story are brought out in an energetic and intelligent manner, the mountain cave scene being particularly great.
With this production of 'Frankenstein', did find myself biting my nails and also found myself welling up. It never feels like there's too many people on stage or that there's too little going on. The dialogue flows beautifully and the story has brains and soul. What makes this 'Frankenstein' especially worth seeing. Jonny Lee Miller brings authority and mystery to Frankenstein but it's Benedict Cumberbatch's creepy yet poignant creature who steals the show here. They reverse roles too, and that is interesting as well. Cumberbatch as Frankenstein is authoritative and Miller's creature is somewhat softer while far from being bland, he's still unsettling enough.
All in all, great. 9/10
