Fathom events featured this 2011 stage production in movie theaters last year. We missed getting to see it. We watched Benedict Cumberbatch as the monster last night and tonight is Jonny Lee Miller. They switch rolls as Frankenstein and the monster every night until May 8. The actors took different approaches to the roll of the monster. Fun to compare and contrast the performances.
The staging is beautiful. The National Theatre does not have a large performance space and yet they make incredible use of it with a revolve and elevator. A cyclorama wraps the back of the stage for a wash of light. The house, audience, lighting that extends up on to the stage is hundreds of incandescent old fashioned light bulbs that are pixel mapped. That might have been my favorite design element. The full body make up is a work of art.
Directed by Danny Boyle this adaptation of the book runs 2 hours. The productions are a delightful treat and I hope you get to watch one or both on YouTube. Please consider supporting either the National theatre or local theaters in your area. Working in the arts is difficult under normal circumstances. It will be a difficult comeback for many regional theaters that employ hundreds and pump millions in to local economies with tourism.
