National Theatre Live: Frankenstein
Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 3pm
By Nick Dear
Based on the novel by Mary Shelley
Running time: 2 hours without intermission
An extract from an interview with writer Nick Dear, discussing how his version of Frankenstein fits into a long history of adaptations of Mary Shelley's story.
I think we're doing something that hasn't been done before [in previous productions], which is to tell the story, at least initially, from the creature's point of view. We do start with the moment of creation but not told from the perspective of the scientists which is how it's usually told; we tell it from the perspective of the experiment rather than the experimenter.
A great deal of what we're trying to do in this show is to explore what it feels like to be that experiment. That was something Danny Boyle and I decided on years ago, which we felt would be a new approach to the story. We certainly don't think it's been done before, and we do it partly as a counter to almost all the movies, of which there are many, which usually deny the creature a voice.
The Creature
Jonny Lee Miller
Dr. Frankenstein
Benedict Cumberbatch
Gretel
Ella Smith
Gustav
John Killoran
Klaus
Steven Elliott
Agatha de Lacey
Lizzie Winkler
De Lacey
Karl Johnson
Felix de Lacey
Daniel Miller
Elizabeth Lavenza
Naomie Harris
William Frankenstein
Jared Richard
M. Frankenstein
George Harris
Clarice
Ella Smith
Servants
Martin Chamberlain,Daniel Ings
Rab
Mark Armstrong
Ewan
John Stahl
Female Creature
Andreea Padurariu
Constable
John Killoran
Ensemble
Josie Daxter, William Nye
Director: Danny Boyle
Set Designer: Mark Tidesley
Costume Designer: Suttirat Anne Larlarb
Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet
Music & Sound: Score Underworld
Director of Movement: Toby Sedgwick
Fight Director: Kate Waters
Music Associate: Alex Baranowski
Sound Design: Underworld, Ed Clarke
Director for Screen: Tim Van Someren
Technical Producer: Christopher C. Bretnall
Lighting Directors: Bernie Davis, Mike Le Fevre
Assistant Screen Director: Laura Vallis
Sound Supervisor: Conrad Fletcher
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