Frankenstein

You may or not have been aware that Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller were in a production of Frankenstein last year. I was no aware of this so I won't blame you for not knowing. My point is, they filmed a show and played it in cinemas around the country. This is what my friend Sarah and I went to see the other night. 

Because there was an option, we chose to see Benedict Cumberbatch play Victor and Jonny Lee Miller play the Creature. Both were incredible, but I am glad we got to see Mr Cumberbatch with hair! 

Danny Boyle, the director person who wrote this version, decided to follow the creature's point of view, which meant there was a painful first 5 minutes where we watched him try to stand up, all alone. It really was heartbreaking actually, seeing the steampunk workers fear and hit him. And get chased away when he was just hungry.

For those who know, the book is from Victor's point of view, his letters and diary entries. Because the play is from the Creature's, we saw him kidnap William, learn English, get shunned from society which made me at least sympathise with him way more than I did when I read the book. It was especially impressive to see him learning to speak from the blind old man, although daunting that he quoted Paradise Lost when we, English Literature students, barely understand it! 

The ending was horrible, poor Elizabeth getting raped and murdered on her wedding night, Victor being too shaken up and weak to shoot his creation and chasing him all the way to the North Pole. It was an amazing show and I am really glad we saw this version, though I do not doubt Mr Cumberbatch would have been a brilliant Creature. The troubles with cloning, playing God, messing with humanity, what makes us unique were all potent themes in both the book and the production. I'm so glad we went to see it and even though it wasn't live, we did sit in plush sofas in the balcony!