Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein is part of the National Theatre’s ‘live’ season of plays from London. Nick Dear’s play, based on Mary Shelley’s novel, features both the Creature and Victor Frankenstein being played, alternatively, by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. It is screening on consecutive weekends over a two week period, so it’s a double chance to see both actors ‘…chained in an eternal hell’.

Both the roles are brilliantly handled and well-supported, with a cast including George Harris (Victor’s father) and Naomie Harris (Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor’s fiancée). It is always difficult to film live performances but this series is an exception - under Boyle’s directorship the performances make the transition from stage to screen with such dramatic power that you feel as if you are part of the live audience.

Boyle is well know for his Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and his most recent 127 Hours and has now pulled off this theatrical/cinematic triumph. He succeeds in addressing the components of both good and evil and the result is a thrilling rendition of a deeply disturbing classic gothic tale. Little wonder that this production was billed as one of the hottest tickets in London and this is your chance to see the best of British theatre without forking out for the plane fare.

Sydney audiences are fortunate to be able to see these productions again, as they are being re-released this year due to unprecedented popular demand. Don’t miss out this time round. Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller are absolutely superb!

// SALT
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