Overview
This new, fully faithful stage version of Mary Shelley’s horror classic proves that the novel wasn’t merely ahead of its time, but that it’s as relevant as ever in the 21st century. Opening and closing in the arctic and telling the full story, not only of Victor Frankenstein, Elizabeth, Henry, and his family, but that of The Creature as well, including the exiled Parisian family and their savior, Safie. As the epic story unfolds and Victor and his Creature go to battle, Shelley’s themes — the responsibility of creation, obsession and revenge, love and hate, and, ultimately, devotion and abandonment — emerge, and as The Creature, bit by bit, destroys Victor’s life, we see that the monster knew more about being human, from the beginning to the tragic conclusion, than its human creator ever did.
Casting & Production
Casting
If you have no restrictions on cast size, use as many actors as you like, do no doubling or tripling, and have as many crew members, etc., as you wish. If cast size is an issue, the play can be done with the breakdown of 7 Men, 4 Women, and a Little Girl, playing the following roles:
Captain Robert Walton — 30s
Victor Frankenstein — 20s
Elizabeth Lavenza — 20s
Henry Clerval — 20s
Alphonse; Professor Waldman; M. DeLacey; Ilya — 50s/60s
Caroline/Crew Member/Man in the Woods – 50s/60s
Ernest; Felix; Crew Member/Man in the Woods — 20s
William; Crew Member/Man in the Woods — *See Note
Justine, the Frankensteins’ ward; Agatha; Female Creature — 20s
Safie/Crew Member — 20s
A Little Girl (non-speaking part)
The Creature, Victor’s Creation — 20s/30s
*In the novel, William is a child, not sixteen. the playwright aged him to make casting easier. If you can cast a little boy, do so and adjust any lines referencing his age, and lose a crew member.
Setting
Place:
The Arctic. Mountains of ice surround Walton’s ship. Sails and sheets of ice part to reveal other places. I suggest a mix of the real and the projected.
Time:
1818 – The playwright changed the time to the year in which Mary Shelley first published the book, anonymously, with a preface written by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
