Frankenstein

An outsider abused and vilified for being different, for being a monster, finally becomes the very thing that he’s accused of being. Far from being a fiction this happens every day, just look at how some oppressed people can be radicalised and turn to terrorism.

Brighton Little Theatre have excelled in bringing Nick Dear’s adaptation of Frankenstein, made famous by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller’s performances at the National Theatre, to the stage. Paul Morley, as the creature, brings pain and questioning to the role and anyone who has experience of people with learning difficulties will recognise the impotent frustration of someone questioning their existence but unable to express it.

Anyone that has ever been an outsider can identify with the creature – immigrants, gay, and especially transgender – seen as monsters, outside of society to be abused, mocked and hunted. Anyone that has ever questioned their ability to be loved, or if there is even someone out there for them, will see themselves in the creature.

This visually stunning, sometimes shocking performance shows that the story is more relevant than ever and demonstrates that man creates monsters. In the words of Martin Luther King who when faced with being an outsider, a century and a half after Frankenstein was written, said: “Hate does not drive out hate, only love does.”

Brighton Little Theatre, 16 Aug 2016
Rating:
Sophie Cook
@sophiecooktalks