by Nick Dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley

directed by Danny Boyle

set designer Mark Tildesley
Costume designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb
Lighting Designer Bruno Poet
Music & Sound Score Underworld
Director of Movement Toby Sedgwick
Fight Director Kate Waters
Music Associate Alex Baranowski
Company Voice Work Jeanette Nelson

from 5.2.2011, (19.2.2011), world premiere 22.2.2011

approx. 2h, no interval

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate the parts of The Creature and Frankenstein

The Creature:                                   Jonny Lee Miller
Victor Frankenstein:                            Benedict Cumberbatch
Gretel, a prostitute:                           Ella Smith
Gustav, a beggar:                               John Killoran
Klaus, a beggar:                                Steven Elliott
Agatha de Lacey:                                Lizzie Winkler
De Lacey, her father-in-law:                    Karl Johnson
Felix de Lacey, his son:                        Daniel Millar
Elizabeth Lavenza, Frankenstein's fiancee:      Naomie Harris
William Frankenstein, Victor's brother:         Haydon DowningOR William Nye OR Jared Richard
M. Frankenstein:                                George Harris
Clarice:                                        Ella Smith
Servants of the Frankenstein household:         Daniel Ings, Martin Chamberlain
Rab, a crofter:                                 Mark Armstrong
Ewan, his uncle:                                John Stahl
Female Creature:                                Andreea Padurariu
Constable:                                      John Killoran
Ensemble:                                       Josie Daxter

.
recommended for 15+ years: extensive nudity, lots of flash lights, a loud bell, some birds and everything a modern stage techology has to offer:
 fire, real snow, rain, loads of smoke and fog, an ever changing stage: Lifting and turning of multipurpose set pieces and a train.
.
What a spectacle: the rather bleak and extensive opening scene (modern German-style theatre) is totally left to the creature finding "his feet".
 Frankenstein is shocked about it and flees. The Creature encounters rejection from all the people he comes across and finds temporarily a friend
 in an old, blind, former universtity teacher but is finally scared aways by his family. He takes terrible revenge. Having learned about "his
 creator" he finally meets him and blackmails Frankenstein into "create a female companion" for him. Frankenstein torn apart between admiration
 for the now highly educated creature and fear for it's savage nature postpones his long-planed wedding to Elizabeth to fulfil his promise far 
 away in Scotland. Realising that another creature wouldn't guarantie the end of his fears he destroys the new creation and the creature takes
 again a terrible revenge as his dream to love and be loved is destroyed for good....
.
The two hours feel like much longer as it is an incredible tour de force both in terms of the moving performances notably from Miller and
 Cumberbatch and spectacular production. The Creature has by far the much more challenging part so seeing the alternate cast will be very
 interesting. While the shocking moments of cruelty outweigh lighter ones they even result in massive laughter, for example when Frankenstein's
 arguments go ad absurdum. A gripping play.
Any fly in the oint? This will be to the Mary Shelley experts to decide...

February
Sat 5 7.30pm PREVIEW 1
Mon 7 7.30pm PREVIEW 2
Tue 8 7.30pm PREVIEW
Wed 9 7.30pm PREVIEW
Fri 11 7.30pm PREVIEW
Sat 12 7.30pm PREVIEW

Mon 14 7.30pm PREVIEW
Tue 15 7.30pm PREVIEW
Wed 16 7.30pm PREVIEW
Thu 17 7.30pm PREVIEW
Fri 18 7.30pm PREVIEW
Sat 19 2pm PREVIEW
Sat 19 7.30pm PREVIEW Cumberbatch as Frankenstein, Miller as Creature, Haydon Downing as William Frankenstein

Mon 21 7.30pm PREVIEW
Tue 22 7pm PRESS Jonny Lee Miller (Creature), Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor)
Wed 23 7pm PRESS Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature), Jonny Lee Miller (Victor)
Thu 24 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Fri 25 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Sat 26 2pm Jonny Lee Miller (Creature), Understudy (Frankenstein)
Sat 26 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)

Mon 28 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)

March
Tue 1 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Wed 2 2pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Wed 2 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Thu 3 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Fri 4 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Sat 5 2pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Sat 5 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)

Thu 10 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Fri 11 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Sat 12 2pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature), Jared Richard as William Frankenstein
Sat 12 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)

Mon 14 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Tue 15 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Wed 16 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Thu 17 1pm & 7pm NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE

April

Fri 8 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Sat 9 2pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Sat 9 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Sun 10 3pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)

Tue 12 2pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Tue 12 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Wed 13 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature) CAP
Thu 14 2pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Thu 14 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Fri 15 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature) AUDIO
Sat 16 2pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature) AUDIO
Sat 16 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Sun 17 3pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)

Tue 19 2pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Tue 19 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Wed 20 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Thu 21 2pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Thu 21 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Sat 23 2pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Sat 23 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)

Mon 25 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Tue 26 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)
Wed 27 2pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Wed 27 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Thu 28 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature) CAP
Fri 29 7.30pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)
Sat 30 2pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature) AUDIO
Sat 30 7.30pm Jonny Lee Miller (Victor), Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature)

May
Mon 2 2pm Benedict Cumberbatch (Victor), Jonny Lee Miller (Creature)