Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant young student, discovers the secret of creating life from the remains of the dead. The result of his unorthodox scientific experiment is an inhuman creature which horrifies even its creator.

This famed gothic horror, written by the young Mary Shelley and first published anonymously in 1818, has been adapted for the stage by Patrick Sandford, and will be performed at The Abbey Theatre next weekend.

Frankenstein is a recommended text for most GCSE and A Level students, so to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of its first publication, there will be a dedicated performance for schools on February 27 at 8pm.

St Albans & Harpenden Review:

This will be followed by a Q&A session with Director Sinead Dunne, the cast and creative team. Also present will be Dr Samantha George, a senior lecturer in gothic literature and women’s writing at the University of Hertfordshire.

To complement the production, The Company of Ten theatre group will be releasing a teachers’ resource pack and a series of behind-the-scenes videos on the creative process, which will be of particular interest to students of drama and theatre studies.

Talking about her approach to the production, Sinead stressed that two elements were important: “The first is that Patrick Sandford has only used text from the original novel, so we too have kept as close to that as possible. The second is that we have drawn on the very human elements of the story, as well as the horror.

“We have become accustomed to seeing Frankenstein’s creation as a hideous monster. In our production we have endeavoured to make him less so. Yes, he is fashioned from body parts harvested from morgues, but Frankenstein had intended him to be a thing of beauty.

“He did not come to life as a being who would commit monstrosities. He was sensitive, intelligent and generous. He became that monster through rejection and isolation. His anger and subsequent revenge was the result of his treatment, not only by his creator but by humanity in general.”

Dewi Williams, who plays the “creature”, describes him: “He is a lost, vulnerable, isolated and desperately unhappy soul, who is craving friendship, companionship and love. He is betrayed by the man who made him, causing him to seek revenge and begin a trail of destruction. 

“Instead of emphasising his obvious physical deformities, I hope to create a real person, for whom the audience will feel sympathy.”

Performances take place from February 23 to March 3. To book tickets go to abbeytheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 01727 857861.

Teachers can find more information about the schools performance on abbeytheatre.org.uk/join-in/education