ED2016 1/5 Reviews ED2016 Theatre Reviews

Frankenstein (Canny Creatures and Fringe Management)

By | Published on Wednesday 10 August 2016

Frankenstein Ed2016

Like Frankenstein’s creature, this adaptation of Shelley’s novel is crudely stitched together and the seams are bursting. Condensing the text to one hour was always going to be hard, but rather than compress the action, focusing on a few key scenes, instead we embark on a breathless race through the plot, never alighting anywhere long enough to catch our breath. Combined with often melodramatic performances, this robs the characters of all pathos. Worse still, the already overstuffed narrative is further muddied by a romantic subplot between Henry and Elizabeth, and by the creature’s attempts to wear the faces of Frankenstein’s family, like a bargain basement Hannibal Lecter. I found myself, like Victor, lamenting the creation of this grotesque monstrosity.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 29 Aug.
tw rating 1/5 | [Andy Leask]



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