Download Frankenstein, Feb 2017

See below our Young Reviewers’ reviews
of Frankenstein by Blackeyed Theatre:
The winning review:
Mary Shelley’s novel ‘brought to life’
Everyone knows Frankenstein. This February, Blackeyed Theatre company adapted
Mary Shelley’s famous 200 year old novel and brought it along to Harrogate. Chilling
and haunting (with an added dose of humour) Blackeyed Theatre company have
brought Mary Shelley’s novel to life – as some may say.
What should be highly commend first is the cast members themselves. Ben Warwick,
who plays the infamous Victor Frankenstein was masterfully sinister, alongside Lara
Crowin who played Elizabeth, who made the character Elizabeth captivating.
Designer Victoria Spearing certainly deserves credit for her mesmerising staging. The
attention to detail shown in props, as well as keeping to the classical nature of the
story, provides an aesthetically pleasing addition the story. Furthermore, what was
most intriguing was the Brechtian influence of live sound. Ellie Verkerk (Sound
Designer) has exploited the drama through the powerful drums that echoed
throughout the entire performance. Haunting, mysterious tunes flowed in the
background – sending shivers down your spine. It’s a team effort. Each cast member
plays an instrument; making an ergonomic and efficient cast, with slick transitions
from performer to musician.
What let this performance down however, was the monster. Although yes, the
puppetry had been carefully choreographed, with attention to human detail which
did provide a rather sinister presence. With that said, it just wasn’t the same. Using a
puppet meant that it had to be controlled, thus meaning that the actors who were
controlling were in full view of the audience, detracting from what of should been
the most climactic character of the play.
This adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel had a talented cast as well as designers,
however, a puppet Frankenstein couldn't live up to the petrifying nature to the one
we all know.
Frankenstein is shown at Harrogate Theatre from the 2nd to the 4th February.
Rebecca Morgan, Harrogate Grammar School
Beware of Frankenstein
The first act commenced with a dynamic retelling of the literary classic,
Frankenstein. The book itself may have been written 200 years ago but the engaging
plot has been maintained into today's dramatic masterpiece.
Act 1 focuses on Victor Frankenstein (played by Ben Warwick), and his craving for
exploration and pushing the boundaries of nature. Yet, his Promethean over reacher
approach leaves him in a state of depression and despair, with his demonic
advancements leaving a foreboding sense of tension within the play. The somewhat
over enthusiastic portrayal of Victor Frankenstein did not provide a sinister tone or
certain quality of insanity that the character should have possessed. Instead, the
performance was rather exaggerated and two dimensional, not exploring the deeper
conflicts of the mind.
Act 2 was much the same, excelling in mirroring the book, but not so good at
captivating the imagination of the audience. This could be down to the play not
having any subplot occurring, preventing the crowd from being able to explore the
conflict faced by Victor Frankenstein.
Although the idea of having a puppet was great in theory, with the artistry behind
the model being superb, Frankenstein's monster lacked emotion and passion, due to
an actor narrating behind it. The difficulty of manoeuvring meant that the puppet
was more of a distraction and an inconvenience than something useful. Overall, the
plays fluidity would have been far better if Frankenstein's monster was an actor.
In summary, Frankenstein followed the plot of the book, obtaining the audience's
attention with enthusiasm and dramatic devices. Sadly, it did lack in producing a
sinister and mysterious tone, which the play needed to fulfil the true horror that the
book creates.
Frankenstein can be seen at Harrogate theatre from the 2nd-4th February 2017.
Rebecca Redmayne, Ashville College