The Frankenstein Experiment
A dozen different takes on the classic horror novel
By Mark Collins, Camera Theater Critic
January 20, 2006
Ray Viggiano, left, and Stuart Goldstein in "Frankenstein - 3000!," one of 12 short plays in Theater Company of Lafayette's production of "The Frankenstein Experiment." |
LAFAYETTE — Ask 12 playwrights to take Mary Shelley's 18th century novel "Frankenstein" and create short plays that somehow deal with the gothic novel's themes, characters or the pop culture that has grown around the story, and you're bound to get a strange array of theatrical treats to sample.
Theater Company of Lafayette's "The Frankenstein Experiment" features 12 such plays, which are playing in groups of six titled "Promise and Peril" and "Fire and Ice," each playing on different days.
What's most fun about the six short plays, each from 10 to 20 minutes in length, that make up "Fire and Ice," is experiencing the variety of vision the six playwrights turned in. Some are light-hearted, some dark, some deal directly with Shelley's themes, while others invent their own. (One note on the overall production: It's unfortunate some of the between-play set changes during Sunday's opening matinee rivaled some of the plays in length. It would have served the production better to cover the changes with a skit that played while they took place, or perhaps by having actors read excerpts from Shelley's novel.)
"Man By Committee" ***
This intelligent comedy finds Victor (a Doc Frankenstein character) having to wade through the opinions of his committee as he plots to create a human being. Dr. Herz, a woman, is concerned about the creature's emotions, Dr. Kaplan, a man of the cloth, is concerned with his soul, and Dr. Verstand, a scientist, with his mind.
Each poke fun at the others' biases as they try to sway Victor into emphasizing what they see as humanity's most important aspect. Linda Berry's script is smart, and the play's cast makes sure to ferret out all its laughs, too, starting "Fire and Ice" in fine form.
"On a Distant Shore" **
This piece begins where Shelley's novel ends, with the wounded, desperate creature cast ashore on an arctic wasteland. In playwright Kristine McGovern's vision, the creature meets a figure, a wise, monkish man who shows him compassion and helps the despondent creature see his own value.
The play quickly turns overwrought, though, bogged down with an overly earnest tone and no subtext, while its theme — life or death — is too grandiose for the short-play form. Jared Wilson effectively throws himself into the role of the creature. Ray Viggiano is effective when he plays up the figure's serene nature, rather than getting agitated, which undercuts the character's power.
"ReCreation in Boca Raton" *1/2
Giving one character dialogue straight from Shelley's novel and juxtaposing that with the contemporary dialogue the others speak is a fertile idea. So is the premise that a doctor regrets creating two teenage girls prone to slapstick antics rather than a monster akin to Frankenstein's. Setting the short piece in a lab where a strange Dogfrogratboy character reanimates a client's dog in human form has interesting possibilities.
Working them all into one 15-minute skit, which, though it's never clear why, also revolves around a vacation to Florida, turns out to be confusing, unfocused and overly contrived. Writer Nora Douglass used too many disparate parts and created an unseemly monster. The costumes are fun once the stage lights are bright enough to see them. Unfortunately, that's not until halfway through the play.
"Frankenstein — 3000!" ***
David Golden's humorous script, which puts two oddball screenwriting brothers in a schmoozy Hollywood executive's office, where they're pitching an idea for a movie, is clever and crisp. The brothers bounce around the office, explaining their epic, which is set in a futuristic world, where a virus threatens humankind until a heroic doctor, named Vic, saves the day by proving he can bring humans back to life.
There is space travel, laser fights and a major love interest, too. Golden plays off both Hollywood and "Frankenstein" clichés to great comic effect, and the piece also has a good final punch line. In part because of the tight writing, the acting by Viggiano, Stuart Goldstein and Karen Goodwin is strong, as well.
"Act of Contrition" **1/2
Set in a church, "Contrition" strikes a strange, sometimes strained tone, perhaps because it's so different from the other plays on the "Fire and Ice" bill.
Matt Pinkerton's short play explores what might happen if science was co-opted by religion. In this play's vision, an unfortunate deformity begets cruelty when science and religion merge. "Contrition" is most interesting after its confusing setup (I had to read the program notes to understand what was going on), when the creature, a pitiful, defenseless character, is wheeled in.
The rest of the piece is uncomfortable to watch, in large part because of Paul Sroka's realistic portrayal of a man living with a condition that appears like severe cerebral palsy. The final violent act of contrition shows no compassion for the creature.
"Up? or Down?" ***
A woman has died and finds herself at the pearly gates in front of St. Peter, Gabriel and Satan, who are vying for her soul. After the woman, who happens to have a past like Dr. Frankenstein, recounts her life's deeds, the audience is asked to vote on where she spends eternity.
Wait, there's more: Anita H. Rosenau's zany script casts St. Peter as a cross between Colonel Sanders and Boss Hogg, Satan as Groucho Marx, while brothers Harpo, Chico and Zeppo are also along for the wacky ride. The entire cast turns in fun, inspired performances, and the costumes are bold and effective, too.
Contact Camera Theater Critic Mark Collins at (303) 473-1369 or theater@dailycamera.com.