‘Playing God’ in Ryde School

‘Frankenstein’, a recent production by Ryde School received a dark and rapturous reception from its audience.

Using an adaptation by playwright, Rona Munro, which bravely casts author Mary Shelley as a character in her own work, this bold piece of theatre was certainly striking.

Charlotte N portrayed Mary, who much like her “hero”, struggles to give life to these new creatures appearing from her macabre imagination. In a lesser actress’s hands, these asides from Mary could have slowed down the pace, but Charlotte delivered the lines effectively.

Emily L as Elizabeth also shone throughout. Her patience at her husband-to-be’s obsessions, and huge bouts of depression, gave the dark subject matter the humanity that makes the work still so interesting over 200 years after it was written. Special mentions go also to Sasha J and Rafferty M for solid performances in supporting roles; bigger ones are sure to be coming for these actors.

The piece however is about the rivalry of creator and monster, and both Frankenstein and his monster delivered impassioned mature performances that hint of big things to come from either of them. From the way George G crawled through the audience towards the stage, I knew our monster would be in good hands; he gave the part a good balance of primal fury and tender emotion as we saw him abandoned and cruelly treated in a world that fears and loathes his existence. Tom T, once again back in a frenetic gothic leading-man role, sold a wide range of emotions and both these young men bravely tackled the great acting challenge it must be to bring such famous characters to life.

It was a very dense script that must have been a real challenge to stage, but the cast really pushed themselves in their performances to create a suitably terrifying and tragic tale about the pressures, responsibilities and harsh nature of “playing God”, either through the reanimation of life, or the act of making a story itself.

A well done to the cast, and all involved in the creative team.