Frankenstein Review
ATYP’s reviewing program was created to give young people a platform to voice their opinions and experiences while developing skills in critical reflection. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not reflect the views of ATYP or its staff.
James Waters & Daniel Wash in Frankenstein, 2024. Photo by Aiyana Forrest – MacMS
26.08.2024
Macquarie University Musical Society’s production of Frankenstein: The Musical is a tragic tale of epic proportions with excellent music, breathtaking costumes and showstopping choreography.
Frankenstein: The Musical boasts earnest ballads and soaring ensemble numbers. This musical brings the suspense and romance of the classic tale to life in a uniquely faithful, yet thoroughly innovative, adaptation of Mary Shelley’s original novel. In his quest to discover the secret of life, Victor Frankenstein (James Waters), a brilliant young scientist, creates The Creature (Daniel Walsh) of his own design which turns out to instead be a horrifying beast.
This is no “Hollywood monster,” but a flesh-and-blood man who, while terrifying in appearance, grows to become articulate, cunning, and thirsting for revenge upon the creator who abandoned him. A tragic love story and exploration of humanity, Frankenstein: The Musical breathes new life into the world-renowned story of man and creator pitted against one another in an epic battle.
It’s evident the MacMS poured everything they had into this production because it radiates confidence and polish with every song and dance number. The sound, lights, performances and staging were all top-notch, despite a few technical difficulties. The cast and crew clearly care about their audience’s experience.
Daniel Walsh & Daniel Buttigieg in Frankenstein, 2024. Photo by Jayden Setiyono – MacMS
The backstage band played to the audience, through the thick, black, curtains, hitting them with every note, punctuating Frankenstien’s tragic fall. The stark white lighting illuminated the actors in this hazy, dreamlike state that draws the audience in, using the musical’s framing device of a soldier recounting the events he saw in a letter.
The placement of a smoke machine on the roof in order to mask the transformation of the Creature was ingenious, adding to the horror and shock of that moment. Additionally, the minimalist staging, nothing but a giant black wooden box, two metres high and four metres wide, provided a variety of character entrances, exits and movement, that kept the audience guessing where they would come from next.
The best part was the music and the choreography by Nikolas Zielinski. Some of the standout songs for me were an earnest ballad by Noah Hickey as Alphonse Frankenstein and the requisite soaring ensemble number to end Act 1. Whilst the narrative feels more like a montage than a coherent story, the production quality was top-notch, giving the show a slick quality, that lends itself more towards a professional production than university theatre.
★★★
— Ben