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'Frankenstein'

The cast and directors of the Bradley's presentation of "Frankenstein," left to right: Nicholas Magrey, Victor Frankenstein; Christopher LaCour, Creature; Alexa Hebard,  Elizabeth; Debra Leigh Siegel,  Director; David Hopcroft, Director. Courtesy photo.

 

 

 

'Frankenstein' set

PUTNAM — The Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut at the Bradley Playhouse brings to the stage this October the classic story of Frankenstein in a production that blends the dark romanticism of the Victorian age with contemporary styling to create a unique experience that is simultaneously faithful to the original work and very modern in its interpretation. 

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 5, 12 and 19 at the Bradley on Front Street. Tickets are $17 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. 

All seats are reserved and reservations may be made with a credit card online at www.thebradleyplayhouse.org or by calling 860-928-7887. Tickets may also be purchased at the theatre box office, either before the performance or at the door. 

Directed by Debra Leigh Siegel and David Hopcroft, Frankenstein features Nicholas Magrey as Victor Frankenstein, Christopher LaCour as the Creature and Alexa Hebard as Victor’s beloved Elizabeth. James York and Valerie Coleman play multiple roles, while Edward Krauss, Rosemary Mercier and Sasha Smallridge make up the ensemble. 

Grief stricken after his mother’s death, Victor Frankenstein set out to discover the secret to creating life and defeating death; and he succeeded. What happened next is the classic story of Frankenstein as told by Mary Wolstonecraft Shelley.  In R.N. Sandberg’s stage adaptation of this timeless tale, we meet Victor as he is caught in a feverish dream aboard a ship trapped in the ice above the Arctic Circle. He has gone there to hunt down the Creature he has created, to kill the Creature and end both the nightmare in his head and the very real one that his creation has visited upon Victor and those he loves. As the play unfolds, we learn more about what has brought Frankenstein from a promising scientific career to this horror; and with him we confront the Creature to which he has given life. 

Who or what is this Creature? Is he man or monster?  What responsibility, what guilt, is properly Frankenstein’s for having brought the Creature into the world? Frankenstein is a story of great scientific discovery and horrifying unintended consequences. It is a story about the collision of life and death in a single creature and his maker. 

Told through flashbacks, dream sequences and the action of the story itself, Frankenstein weaves through short, powerful scenes that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats, with one scene moving smoothly into the next with the help of an ensemble of players who will move set pieces, make costume changes and create a backdrop for the action of the play.  Once the play has begun, the audience will be swept along with the action on the stage.

 

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