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FRANKENSTEIN

Sun, 11 Aug 2002, 12:22 am
Walter Plinge19 posts in thread
I'm hoping I get this on the web before midnight 10/08/02, the opening night of this play, presented by Vagabond Theatre at The Rechabites Hall, Northbridge. I know how good it feelsas a cast/crew member after an opening night celebration to wait for the notices to come in.

The choice of story seems surprising, given that it is a romantic/gothic classic, if ever there was such a thing. Nevertheless, the various themes and morals of the story are good to reflect on in these post-post-modern times of ours, with stem-cell research, genetic manipulation and performance-enhancing elite sports very much on the agenda.

The acting performances were all very slick. I found all the characters very well drawn and plenty of energy coming from the stage. I particularly admired the multi-roling by the younger members of the cast. Patrick's Monster evoked the right levels of sympathy and fear, while Grant's Victor held it all together very capably. My only complaint is that Grant is a bit too young and pretty to be really covincing as a mad scientist.

Finally, I loved the the audiovisual, light and sound design, cheerful front of house and bar staff. However, as much as I liked the multi-level stage draped in underlay, I'm sure there are ways a designer could utilise the lofty architecture of the Rechabites to better effect.

Congratulations and have a great season.

Re: FRANKENSTEIN

Sat, 17 Aug 2002, 08:04 pm
I'm confused as to your motivations for raising the issue in the first place Justin, and if you raise it in a public place of course the 'argument' will continue in a public place. If your motivations for raising the issue are just to say you don't think theatre companies should indulge in this behaviour, I think it is entirely appropriate that the discussion take place in a public venue.
I doubt very much the producer's of Frankenstein want to 'deceive' the public purely to raise ticket sales. I know them and that's not their game. More likely, I believe, it was just to annoy Geoff Gibbs. Whether or not this is wise is another issue. If you really want this discussion to go 'private' why not raise it privately with Vagabond?

Cheers
Nath

Thread (19 posts)

FRANKENSTEINWalter Plinge11 Aug 2002
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