Frankenstein stalks the stage in Eastbourne

Adapted by Nick Lane from John Ginman’s original 2016 adaptation, Frankenstein has been directed by Eliot Giuralarocca and musically directed by Ellie Verkerk.

Robert Bradley plays Victor Frankenstein.

In Geneva of 1816, Victor Frankenstein obsesses in the pursuit of nature’s secret, the elixir of life itself. But nothing can prepare him for what he creates, and so begins a gripping life or death adventure taking him to the ends of the earth and beyond.

As well as featuring live music and ensemble storytelling, Blackeyed Theatre’s highly theatrical telling of Shelley’s gothic masterpiece will use of Bunraku-style puppetry to portray The Creature. Designed and built by Yvonne Stone (Warhorse, His Dark Materials), the 6’4” puppet, operated by up to three actors at any one time, adds a new dimension to the retelling of the classic story.

Director Eliot Giuralarocca said: “For me, the beauty and excitement of theatre is that it is live, unfolding in front of an audience as they watch, and the decision to make the creature a life-sized puppet – beautifully and painstakingly made by Yvonne Stone – seemed to fit perfectly with this approach. Frankenstein is obsessed with re-animating dead matter by finding the spark of creation, the elixir of life. We bring our creature to life theatrically, animating, manipulating and breathing life into the puppet right in front of the audience and in doing so I hope we present a lovely theatrical metaphor for the act of creation in the story itself and give audiences the chance to share in that creation.”

Eliot said the key to retelling the story of Frankenstein was to approach it with a sense of fearlessness.

“We will approach the work with integrity and passion, but you can’t worry too much about what has gone before! Our production of Frankenstein is an ensemble storytelling piece with a bold performance style that moves fluidly from one location to the next and with the cast changing roles, manipulating objects, moving furniture, creating environments, playing instruments and generally underscoring the action with percussion, voice and sound as necessary.”