Last Sunday, Dawn and I headed into Chicago for our third stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The first time wasn’t really live theater, but the National Theatre Live’s version of the story, directed by Danny Boyle and with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in the rotating roles as Victor Frankenstein and his creation. It was decent enough, but maybe because it wasn’t live, it didn’t have the punch I was hoping for. Next was the Lifeline Theatre’s version last year, which was much different than Shelley’s story. It was more about with dealing grief, with Victor actually being a woman named Victoria trying to resurrect her father. Again, it was a very interesting take on the story, but not what I was hoping for.

But then last Sunday, I got what I’ve been waiting for with the Lookingglass Theatre’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein!

The play remains pretty faithful to the original story, but has the main characters of Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Dr. Polidori, and Claire Clairmont becoming characters from the story, as if they are putting on their own play. They give an incredible and gripping performance, capturing the heart and soul of Shelley’s tale. There are sequences that are just breathtaking, others that are loud and scary, and very powerful. 

One part that I really loved is how that during the “performance” of the story, there would be things that would effect the “real” characters, such as the lost of a child where the playacting stops while Mary’s grief of her own loss takes over. This is done a few times during the performance and it really makes a powerful impact, showing how some of Mary’s real life tragedies effected her most famous tale. Written and directed by David Catlin, and performed by Cordelia Dewdney, Walter Briggs, Keith Gallagher, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, and Debo Balogun, they all do an exceptional job here.

I could not recommend this play enough. They have just recently extended the performances through Sept. 1st. So don’t delay. Head over to the Lookingglass Theatre’s website (HERE) and get your tickets.