Reviews: Danny Boyle's National Theatre Production of FRANKENSTEIN
By: Kelsey Denette Feb. 23, 2011
The National Theatre production of Frankenstein, directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), will be presented in movie theatres around the world on March 24. Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. Was it a critical success?
Miller appeared on Broadway in AFTER MISS JULIE; his other stage credits include BEAUTIFUL THING, FESTEN, and SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME. On screen, Miller's works include 'The Flying Scotsman (for which he was nominated for the Scottish BAFTA), 'Afterglow,' 'Hackers,' 'Trainspotting,' 'Mansfield Park,' and 'Emma.'
Cumberbatch recently starred in Terence Rattigan's After The Dance and in Sherlock Holmes for BBC TV. He is also set to star in Steven Spielberg's War Horse film.
Earlier in his career, Boyle directed plays for The Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Highlights include Marianne Elliott's production of Women Beware Women, Moira Buffini's new play Welcome to Thebes and Danton's Death directed by Michael Grandage.
Read select excerpts from the reviews below!
The Guardian (Review by Michael Billington) says: "It's a humane, intelligent retelling of the original story in which much of the focus is on the plight of the obsessive scientist's sad creation...As a piece of staging, it is brilliant. But, before listing its virtues, one has to concede that Boyle and Dear, in focusing more on the victim than on Victor, downplay some of Shelley's themes. [However], there are also huge gains. Boyle's production is a bravura triumph in which Mark Tildesley's design provides a whole series of visual coups."
Variety (Review by David Benedict) says: "In terms of theatrical immensity...a giant train showering sparks screams down towards the audience, flocks of birds fly up seemingly from nowhere and the stage's central turntable allows sets to wheel, corkscrew-like, out of the floor to literally towering effect. But equivalent dramatic intensity is in short supply. For the confrontations between the "monster" and his maker to achieve full resonance, they need to be grounded in the everyday world which is where the production goes badly awry. Boyle's bravura handling of spectacle also sits uneasily beside his awkward handling of intimate scenes."
The Times (Review by Libby Purves) says: "The writer, Nick Dear, and director, Danny Boyle, come fresh to the wonder and fear of [Frankenstein] by taking the Creature's point of view...it is a hell of a production: the set itself conveys unease, rising and revolving into harsh surprises. But it is the Creature that mesmerizes, developing a jerky, defective, heartbreaking eloquence."
The Daily Telegraph (Review by Charles Spencer) says: "For those who have tickets - and if you haven't you will have to queue for day seats or attend a performance due to be screened live in cinemas on March 17 and 24 - I can report that both versions are well worth seeing...the Frankenstein story has become so familiar that it might seem an impossible task to make the old story seem fresh. Yet somehow Boyle does just that, constantly creating shocks, spectacular coups de theatre - the lighting effects alone are worth the price of admission - and scenes that tug at the heart. The music by the electronic duo Underworld is a blast, too."
The Daily Express (Review by Paul Callan) says: "This is no Hollywood/Hammer-style version of the old tale with a grunting giant sporting a bolt through his neck, a la Boris Karloff...Danny Boyle has returned from films to direct and the result is, for the most part, a mesmerising evening. Yet, despite the action and power of Messrs Lee Miller and Cumberbatch's individual performances, the script often dragged as badly as the Creature's foot when he learnt to walk."
The Daily Mail (Review by Patrick Marmion) says: "Despite all the hype, the show does not disappoint. Boyle draws terrifically gutsy performances from his two leads...There are a few problems. Frankenstein's father is bizarrely played as a huge, camp West Indian. Boyle sometimes lays on too many effects, and the dialogue in Nick Dear's script is often drably pedestrian. But this is a memorable production and will doubtless be spoken of for years to come."
For more information on the production, visit www.ntlive.com.
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