Frankenstein – Imitating the Dog: Review

Does the world need another version of ‘Frankenstein’? Director James Whale drew up the movie blueprint with his original 1930’s film (and its sequel), a vision so distinctive that few have come close to surpassing it in the decades since. The Universal Studios make up design for star Boris Karloff was copyrighted so each subsequent adaptation has had to create a new look: it’s hard to watch Dave Prowse lumbering through Hammer’s ‘The Horror of Frankenstein’ without thinking about jabbering political hack Lee Anderson (who next week will join the Tupperware Party). The less said about ‘The Bride’ (1985), which bizarrely combined the talents of Sting, Jennifer Beals, and Quentin Crisp, the better. Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 take was actually called ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’, it’s USP being that it adhered more closely to the text than any previous adaptation; a shame the film is a bloated mess (even though Robert De Niro brought sensitivity and empathy to his underrated portrayal of the creature).

Danny Boyle’s National Theatre stage production (2011) starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, and was acclaimed for the way the actors alternated the roles of Doctor and Creature. This probably felt like the last avenue of exploration for Shelly’s book. Is there anywhere left to go or anything new to say?

I have always liked Imitating the Dog, who have been making innovative theatre which combines text and movement with seamless, cutting edge film projections (often created with live cameras), since the late 90’s. The creative trio of Pete Brooks, Andrew Quick and Simon Wainwright, seemingly have a shared love of horror, having adapted ‘Dracula’ and ‘Night of the Living Dead’ in the last few years, For this version of ‘Frankenstein’ they have taken a dramatic leap which either works or doesn’t, depending on your point of view.

Here we have a dual narrative, with Shelly’s story becoming a Radio 4 drama. Listening to the audio is a young couple awaiting the birth of their first child. They appear to be confined to their gated high rise, raising the dreaded spectre of lockdown (something which most of us would prefer to forget) but this is never made entirely clear. There’s a subplot involving a homeless man threateningly patrolling the street outside. A clever conceit, given the way rough sleepers are ostracized by society, and a clear parallel with the creature’s lonely journey to find a place in a world which refuses to even look at him. The theme could have been visually reinforced with surveillance footage of the character, frequently discussed but never physically seen.

As they confront their own perfectly valid fears about bringing a child into this messed up world – ‘I worry neither of us will be good enough for this baby’, says the woman – the story of Frankenstein erupts into life around them, as everyday objects are transformed into glaciers, a ship at sea, a laboratory, and a burning house.

Georgia-Mae Myers and Nedum Okonyia are the only two actors on stage, and skillfully transition between both worlds, bringing an impressive physicality to the story of the Doctor and the Creature (choreographer Casper Dillen deserves particular credit for his work here). Audience members who have never seen an Imitating the Dog show will be blown away by the visual style of this production. Images of churning waves appear, followed by tiny frogs emerging from slime; blizzards blow from right to left, and clouds of blood dissolve in amniotic fluid. The video design by Alan Cox and Davi Callanan is superb, as is the lighting by Andrew Crofts.

Shows which are this tech heavy can often consume the emotional content but Myers and Okonyia are skilful enough performers to avoid this pitfall. In fact, it’s surprising how moving this production turns out to be; the final confrontation between Dr Frankenstein, and the Creature, tugs at the heart strings, and underscores one of the themes of Shelly’s book – familial responsibility. Ultimately, this is a show about what it means to be human.

In other words, it’s about all of us.

Frankenstein – Imitating the Dog is at The Lowry, Salford from 12-14 March 2024.