Wild Goose’s maximalist production of Mary Shelley’s classic chiller Frankenstein, graces the Old Fire Station this week. A little refresher on the story: a ship captain, sailing the frigid Arctic waters, rescues a weak and nearly frozen man from near-death. As he recovers, the man, Victor Frankenstein, reveals himself to be a scientist who has quite literally created a monster, which he is now pursuing across the frozen landscape. As Victor launches into his sorry tale, the sailors aboard act it out for us.
There’s no lack of creativity in this new adaptation, written, directed and co-produced by Billy Morton, which is punctuated by haunting live renditions of sea shanties - a clever idea that becomes slightly overused. The set and prop design are fantastically detailed and there are some compelling movement choices throughout - characters using blocking to add dimensions to the story and work as instant-costumes.
Frankenstein here reminded me a lot of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in pacing and style if not subject matter. It’s long (two and half hours if you include the intermission) with a winding, slow burn plot and a trickly main character who can come off as insufferably petulant and self-absorbed if not played right. Unfortunately, this frenzied Frankenstein did not draw any empathy from me, despite a wholehearted performance from Craig Finlay. The same can be said of his monster (Edward Blagrove) who spends a great deal of time telling us how miserable he is, but comes off as oddly one note. I didn’t find I could connect to either character as a person as much as a bunch of flowery dialogue impassionately delivered.
As these two men stand at the centre of the story, this left it feeling rather hollow to me. I didn’t root for either, so felt somewhat apathetic towards the outcomes of the story. There were some stand-out performances - Peter Todd as Clerval (and others) brought compelling sincerity and immediacy to his role, and Beth Burns’ (who also did the choreography) comedic timing shines and adds a much-needed dose of levity. And show-helmer Billy Morton also gives a steady and well-integrated performance as the ship’s captain.
I suppose what’s missing for me with this production is just that - levity. Overall, there’s a deadly seriousness to this adaptation and it’s core performances that make it feel opaque rather than inviting. It might be that someone currently studying the novel or who is a huge fan of it would find a way and be hugely impressed. But for me, I couldn’t help feeling a bit exhausted.
