Wick Theatre Company brings Frankenstein to the stage

Spokeswoman Susanne Crosby said: “Most people will have heard the name Frankenstein as it’s something seeped into our culture. Film adaptations have been made of this gothic tale for over a century, the first being in 1910 and the sight of a clumsy monster with bolts through his neck might be imagined, or perhaps the 1994 Kenneth Brannagh vision with images of a tragic Robert De Niro playing the creature.

“Mary Shelley’s classic gothic 1811 novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a student of medicine, who decides to try to create a new life from relics of the dead. This is more an intellectual experiment, to show that not only God can create life, but man can also.

“When he succeeds, he is suddenly confronted by the horror of what he has done and rejects the creature cruelly, leaving it abandoned, hideous, yet with childlike innocence that ill equips him for the world he finds.

“The novel was famously a result of a wet summer in Switzerland with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, where they each devised different stories.

“Unlike other versions, Nick Dear’s ground-breaking play tells the story from the point of view of the creature, rather than his creator Victor Frankenstein. It is set from the moment of his birth and from then the creature is ever present.

“Like the novel, it not only has intriguing themes of good versus evil, but also of parental responsibility and neglect, and what drives someone to extreme acts. Along with the creature, we experience his humiliation, rejection, the cruelty that people can have towards one another and what happens when you continually treat someone badly.”

Director Diane Robinson said: “I was intrigued by the human element: what happens to a person when you reject them and treat them cruelly. And ultimately, who should bear the consequences of those actions.

“Many versions look at the scientific element but Nick Dear’s play puts the relationship between the creature and Victor front and centre throughout, which is far more interesting, impactful and very emotional. It makes a gripping, incredible tale that is timeless.”

There is also an original musical score played live by Phil Jones and Scott Smith of Long Way Home Productions.

Diane said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Phil and Scott and they are bringing a vibrancy and intensity to the piece which is matched by the amazing two lead actors: Phil Nair-Brown who plays the creature, and Sam Razavi playing Victor Frankenstein. This will be a truly special production, I have an amazing cast, and I’m thrilled to be doing this with Wick Theatre.”

Frankenstein opens on Wednesday, March 30 and runs each evening until Saturday, April 2. www.wicktheatre.co.uk or 0333 666 3366.

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