Co-directors/writers: Andrew Quick, Peter Brooks and Simon Wainwright
Imitating the Dog have proved adept at using technology to breathe fresh life into classic horror. An inventive, shot-by-shot remix of the seminal 1960s zombie movie, Night of the Living Dead, was followed by a brilliant reimagining of Dracula as a 20th century graphic novel.
Their latest, Frankenstein, eschews cameras and live video projections for a more conventional, physical style of theatre which places the multi-layered original within a modern setting.
Georgia-Mae Myers’ expectant mother stalks the city flat she shares with partner Nedum Okonyia, wracked with doubt at the prospect of bringing new life into a broken world. As the couple weigh their capacity for love, the fraught woman follows with growing concern through the window the plight of a homeless man struggling in the bitter cold. It is a profound meditation on creation, the capacity for love and the fate of the unloved which distils the essence of Mary Shelley’s novel into a gripping mini drama of looming responsibilty.
Both actors are impressive: Myers rages against motherhood, exploding in anger and concern, while the muscular Okonyia paces, his soothing exterior peeled back to reveal frustration and fear. This energetic two-hander is well choreographed and moves beautifully around the stage, cleverly bringing the pair together and forcing them apart.
The domestic tension only releases when a flash of lights switches attention and roles to the characters from the original stories: Shelley’s narrator, Victor Frankenstein and the Monster. This is handled with the smart use of more lo-fi tech: radio and video screens.
The switchbacks adhere to the original structure. They inject pace and urgency but the sudden shifts can jar and make it hard to adjust quickly to the new setting. Frankenstein is universally known even if the original text is not. This show offers a thoughtful and moving study of parenthood in an uncertain world woven into the terrible, monstruous drama of the original.
It is captivating throughout and brilliant in moments even if the component parts don’t always fit together seamslessly as a whole.
Runs until 14 March then touring.
The Reviews Hub Score - 6
6
Captivating throughout
