At the Princess Theatre recently, a remarkable stage production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was presented by the Shake & Stir Theatre Company. The production values were incredible and from the opening moments of the play, the audience was gripped by an energy and an inventiveness that remained throughout the performance.
Nelle Lee, co-artistic director, was responsible for this adaptation, directed by Nick Skubij and importantly, retained Mary Shelley's story rather than the Hollywood version which does not probe the philosophical complexities of the story or gives enough attention to the roles of women.
Starring Darcy Brown, Tony Cogin, Nick James, Anna Lise Phillips, Jeremiah Wray and Chloe Zuel, all the actors played multiple rolls (except Jeremiah Wray who plays the creature) and they morphed into their different characters seamlessly and all of them were up to the challenge.
The video projections, by Craig Wilkinson, added another dimension, literally, as they immersed the audience and the actors into environments that were extensions of what was happening on the stage. The technology was used with good judgement, not over relying on it to diminish the impressive stage designs by Josh McIntosh. Guy Webster contributed a stirring score which captured the various emotional and mood changes throughout the story.
There is a possibility it will be returning to Melbourne because it was only on for a week. Hopefully this will come to pass as this production is a must see and Melbournians deserve further opportunities to see it.
