Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Frankenstein: Version 1 (2011)

 
For those of you who don’t know, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, everyone’s favorite dueling modern-day Sherlocks, appeared onstage together at the National Theatre in London prior to Jonny Lee Miller being cast in Elementary.  They shared top billing in Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein, swapping the roles of Frankenstein and the Creature every other night.  It was filmed (twice) for one of those “theatre in the cinema” live events, and the recordings have been re-aired in theaters a couple times since then.
 
Well, theatre dork, Holmes enthusiast, and Cumberbatch/Miller fan that I am, I road-tripped it down to the nearest theatre showing encores of Frankenstein and put up the cash to see both versions.  Today’s review will be of Cumberbatch as the Creature and Miller as Frankenstein.
 
First off, the production itself is sensational.  It’s stylish and cool, and Danny Boyle really works wonders on the stage.  Light and music is used to tremendous effect, there’s an awesome steampunkish train prop made out of giant gears, and the stage has a large disk in the middle that rotates, tilts, lowers, and elevates depending on the needs of the scene. 
 
Then there’s the play as written.  Getting away from the classic themes and images from the Frankenstein movies, the piece goes back to Mary Shelley’s original novel and draws from that.  The Creature is given back his voice, and heavy emphasis is placed on his growth and introduction to the world he’s just been born into.  More than the story of a man who creates a monster, it’s the story of a monster who doesn’t understand why he’s not allowed to be a man.
 
This leads us, naturally, to Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as the Creature.  Now, I’ve seen him in a number of different roles, but his Sherlock is of course the most prominent.  The contrast is so stark – his Sherlock is a man whose every move seems intentional.  He speaks at a whirlwind pace, can’t be bothered with “normal” people beyond John, and sublimates his every emotion.  The Creature, meanwhile, brims with an unstudied, endearing clumsiness; the opening scene of the show is a long, wordless sequence of the Creature learning to move, to stand, and to walk, and it’s captivating.  His garbled words come with effort, and his emotions tremble through his unbalanced body at all times.  More than anything, his longing for friendship and acceptance is a wound that cuts through the heart of the play.  At every turn, the Creature is worlds from Sherlock.  It’s a performance I really couldn’t take my eyes off of.
 
Because the story is so focused on the Creature’s journey, Dr. Frankenstein isn’t onstage much for the first half of the play.  When he reappears, however, Jonny Lee Miller gives a strong, nuanced performance.  Frankenstein is an obsessive genius who can’t relate to people, and having achieved the most incredible scientific breakthrough known to man, is unable to share it with a soul.  Faced with his creation, he vacillates between revulsion, elation, horror, and pride.  Though it’s obviously not as flashy a role as the Creature, Miller is highly effective.  The scenes of the Creature confronting Frankenstein – the creation having an argument with his creator – are among the best in the piece.
 
Great play, fantastic production, incredible performances.  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s review of Miller’s Creature and Cumberbatch’s Frankenstein!

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