Review: Frankenstein, Bridge House Theatre

British Touring Shakespeare Theatre (BTS) are never short of ambition and once again they have aimed high by attempting an adaptation of an iconic novel, the chef-d’oeuvre of Mary Shelley and one of the first gothic sci-fi successes, written in 1818, no less.

Frankenstein has been somewhat contaminated by the film version, with Boris Karloff grunting away, wreaking havoc in a mindless way, but here the writing team of David and Andrew (who also directs) Hobbs have cleverly condensed the intricate plots into a stage play for five actors. And they work their socks off on the, shall we say, ‘intimate’ stage that is the ever-resourceful Bridge House Theatre in Penge. It just so happened I finally got round to reading Shelley’s book recently, and I can report that the Hobbs’s have been remarkably faithful to the original, which is a complete joy. 

This is apparent from the beginning of the story, where Captain Wilson (Maximilian L’Olive) is stuck in the Arctic on his ship, recounting his encounter with a half-dead scientist. This is Frankenstein (Megan Carter), who then becomes the narrator, only for the Monster (Paul Winterford), in rabid pursuit of him, to land on the ship and take over the story when Frankenstein dies. This is the striking moment, just as I had read it and here reproduced: the Monster is in effect articulate as any nineteenth-century philosopher. No Karloff grunts and groans, which means we can get into his actual feelings and frustrations as a sentient, albeit manufactured person. But ‘Oh God’, you say ‘THREE narrators?’ Fear not. BTS are brilliant in interweaving actual dramatic action with throwbacks to the narration, so you are whisked along by the story – and what a story the original is!

Right from the start, you get the measure of their ambition, with a rousing evocation of the arctic storm which blocks Wilson’s ship – it’s like the beginning of The Tempest!! However, there is one liberty the writers have taken, and that is making Victor Frankenstein ‘Victoria’. It certainly chimes in with the fight for women’s rights that both Shelley and her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, devoted their lives to, even in those early years. It does, however, add another layer to the plot when Victoria has to disguise herself to get into Ingolstadt University to study the radically new natural sciences of chemistry and electricity: no woman would be allowed near a university in the early eighteen hundreds. But it affords a moment of humour, which the company are adept at injecting into the evening. Indeed, all five of them are totally committed, with the brooding L’Olive’s clear bass voice impressing, and Alice Gold injecting humour and poignancy into her roles. Winterford is a formidable presence on stage. In his hands, the Monster becomes a hurt human being with real feelings and thought processes. 

The speed and efficiency of switching scenes – and there are a lot of them – keeps the story rolling along, with some excellent lighting by Luke Adamson and atmospheric background music, composed and played live by Alistair Smith. 

A big shout-out to the impressive electric generator that Frankenstein uses – Graham Coventry (Props) deserves a medal. One tiny niggle, though, some actors need to be aware to project much more when there is underscoring, and one aspect I did miss from the original is Frankenstein’s real agony and regret at the hubris of his reckless attempt to emulate God in creating a being. 

Nevertheless, this kind of production is the vibrant proof that, despite limited resources of finance and space, engaging and compelling theatre can and does happen.

Based on The Novel by Mary Shelley
Written by David & Andrew Hobbs
Directed by: Andrew Hobbs
Original Music: Alistair Smith
Design: Graham Coventry
Lighting: Luke Adamson

Frankenstein plays at The Bridge House Theatre until Saturday November 1