Genre
First Performance 05/02/2011
Closing 02/05/2011
Running Time 2h

Mary Shelley’s novel is adapted for the National Theatre stage by Nick Dear, in a production directed by award-winning film director Danny Boyle.

A disturbing, thrilling gothic tale, Frankenstein tackles themes of scientific responsibility, parental neglect, cognitive development and the nature of good and evil.

Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein’s bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker. Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the friendless creature, increasingly desperate and vengeful, determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal.

Boyle returns to the world of theatre to direct Frankenstein after a hugely successful career in film. From early works Trainspotting and Shallow Grave through to The Beach, 28 Days Later and A Life Less Ordinary, Boyle’s film career hit heady heights when he won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire. By making his NT debut he now returns to theatre, the arena in which his career began.

In an ingenious twist, audiences will be able to see leads Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch playing both Frankenstein and the creature, as they will alternate roles on different nights. Miller, who appeared in Boyle’s Trainspotting, makes his National Theatre debut after West End performances in Festen and Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me. Cumberbatch recently appeared in After The Dance at the National Theatre and on television in the title role of Sherlock.

Frankenstein is suitable for theatregoers aged 15 and older.

For more about Frankenstein at the National Theatre read the Big Interview with Naomie Harris or the First Night Feature.

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