Blackeyed Theatre announce their revival of FRANKENSTEIN will tour from January 2022
Photo credit: Alex Harvey Brown
Blackeyed Theatre have announced that their acclaimed production of Frankenstein will return to the stage in January for a two-month tour.
Adapted by Nick Lane from John Ginman’s original 2016 adaptation, Frankenstein will open in Bracknell on 27 January, touring to theatres across England until 29 March. It will also be recorded and made available to stream online.
The role of Victor Frankenstein will be played by Robert Bradley (Hedda Gabler, National Theatre). Max Gallagher (Brief Encounter, Watermill Newbury, War Horse, National Theatre) returns to reprise the role of Henry Clerval, while the role of Robert Walton is played by Benedict Hastings (Wolf Hall, RSC). Billy Irving (War Horse Tenth Anniversary Tour, National Theatre) is Chief Puppeteer and the voice of The Creature, while recent Rose Bruford graduate Alice E Mayer makes her professional stage debut as Elizabeth Lavenza.
Frankenstein features original music by Ron McAllister, with direction by Eliot Giuralarocca and musical direction by Ellie Verkerk, while the puppetry is created and directed by Yvonne Stone. Completing the artistic team are set designer Victoria Spearing, costume designer Anne Thomson and lighting designer Alan Valentine.
In Geneva of 1816, Victor Frankenstein obsesses in the pursuit of nature’s secret, the elixir of life itself. But nothing can prepare him for what he creates, and so begins a gripping life or death adventure taking him to the ends of the earth and beyond.
As well as featuring live music and ensemble storytelling, Blackeyed Theatre’s highly theatrical telling of Shelley’s gothic masterpiece is unique for its use of Bunraku-style puppetry to portray The Creature. The 6’4” puppet is operated by up to three actors at any one time and adds an exciting new dimension to the retelling of the classic story.
Director Eliot Giuralarocca said: “For me, the beauty and excitement of theatre is that it is live, unfolding in front of an audience as they watch, and the decision to make the creature a life-sized puppet - beautifully and painstakingly made by Yvonne Stone - seemed to fit perfectly with this approach. Frankenstein is obsessed with re-animating dead matter by finding the spark of creation, the ‘elixir of life’. We bring our creature to life theatrically, animating, manipulating and breathing life into the puppet right in front of the audience and in doing so I hope we present a lovely theatrical metaphor for the act of creation in the story itself and give audiences the chance for audiences to share in that creation.”
For more information and to book tickets, please click here.
