Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Now, off the bat I know what you’re thinking here. A blog about TV and films and her first post is about a theatre production? What’s all this about? However, hear me out:
- Firstly, this is the National Theatre Live version which was recorded and streamed to cinemas across the UK.
- Secondly, the current timing is especially pertinent because this version is available on YouTube until the end of this week only! Therefore, now seems a better time than ever to discuss this with you all before the opportunity to watch escapes you.
The play stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller with the pair alternating between playing Frankenstein and the monster each performance. Both are equally brilliant and unique in their own right, as is the play overall. Most importantly, both versions are currently available to watch for free on YouTube, and if you are going to watch any of the national theatre at home free productions, this is the one to see.
Aside from knowing that there was a scientist named Frankenstein who made a monster, and watching an episode of Drunk History about Mary Shelly, I was entirely ignorant to Shelly’s story of Frankenstein prior to the production. Yet, the play succeeds in fascinating even the most clueless of viewers and captivating them into a story so intense and intelligent that you don’t even realise that there wasn’t an interval until you get to the end.
Benedict Cumberbatch presents a monster that is fragile, delicate. The journey from his animation, which is furiously physical, to the meeting of De Lacey and then onto Geneva is less rushed. The beautiful pauses, and moments of innocence like the first snow, left me wanting to hold the monster and shield him from the world; a vulnerable being being abused. The extraordinary attention to detail here, however, does lead to a pertinent scene, that of William’s body being found, being cut from this version which, whilst being a small scene, is somewhat helpful to see in the plot. In this version, Jonny Lee Miller as Frankenstein portrays a mad scientist, but is as different in his portrayal to Benedict’s as their monster characterisations are. I felt much more empathy towards Jonny Lee Miller’s portrayal of Frankenstein. He shows a man who is overwhelmed by what he created, lets it shadow his life and then is trapped in his fascination and loyalty for science. Overall, this version is more chaotic, helped by the less stereotypical casting of the two actors.
It was so captivating; I decided to go back for more.
In the second version, Jonny Lee Miller’s monster becoming animated is focused less on the physical development of the monster and more on its ability to vocalise and form sounds. Overall, this version of the monster struck me as angrier and less endearing in the beginning, but this emphasises the childlike and vulnerable nature of the monster later on. Benedict’s Frankenstein is more sociopathic, almost ignorant to the feelings of those around him, obsessed with his brilliance, inspiring less sympathy. However, this presents the opportunity for real themes from the book to stand out, especially the parallels between Frankenstein and his monstrous creation, and Frankenstein’s father and the view he has of his son, an aspect I missed in the first viewing.
Overall, I prefer Benedict’s monster and Johnny’s Frankenstein when taking into account their individual scenes. However, the chemistry between Benedict’s Frankenstein and Jonny Lee Miller’s monster is mesmerising. The shift from the monster’s anger, caused by terror, to an innocent child-like being who that just wants to make his creator proud and not be alone is so starkly exposed leading to a greater sense of vulnerability in Jonny’s creature. The debates between the characters, their reasoning, and the illustration of the complex feelings the pair have towards one another reveals how the existence of one defines the existence of the other. Without the monster, Frankenstein is nothing, has achieved nothing. Without Frankenstein, the creature would not exist.
And so, in both portrayals I found myself feeling sorry for the monster, who learnt how to be human from observing humanity, and simply replicated the anger and cruelty he observed in the surrounding world to try to fit in; a fitting indictment of the world. In the plot the characters that show kindness are so few and far between that they stand out vividly.
And the play offers up important questions. Is it ok to play with life? What do we owe to life we have created? How do we determine who/ what deserves rights and happiness? How far should the advancement of science be allowed to go- to what extent is scientific achievement worth risking lives?
Overall, I can’t recommend this highly enough. The staging is stunning throughout with a real focus on lighting. Both versions shine in their own rights, however if you can only watch one I recommend the version with Jonny Lee Miller as the creature as the overall production is stronger.
Let me know which you preferred!
Emma xx
My Film Education 