The Frankenstein Rubrics at The Magnetic Theatre

I’ve been looking forward to The Magnetic Theatre’s production of David Hope’s The Frankenstein Rubrics all year, and it delivered!

First off, the seating arrangement for this show is vastly different than the usual setup in the black box theater. Instead of the typical arrangement of seats facing the stage, half the rows are turned to face the runway that splits the two sides of the audience. Another 10 seats are actually on the stage, so be prepared for a little audience participation.

The decor and props on loan from Girl and Goblin, Magnetic’s tattoo studio/oddities shop/neighbor, lend an eerie air to the theater without being overly campy. It’s the perfect spooky touch to a seasonal play. During seating, clips from various film versions of Frankenstein are projected on the walls. Trust me when I say, if the overall story and history of Frankenstein are your jam as much as they are mine, this is going to be at the top of your to-see list this month.

The play opens with Percy Shelley (Evan Eckstrom) and Mary not-quite-yet Shelley (Hannah Williams) discussing how they’ll recognize each other over time, giving a hint as to the cyclical nature of the rest of the play. Suddenly, the Creature (Daniel Henry) approaches the very yonic — yes, I had to look up the opposite of phallic — part of the machine that later gives him life, bringing to mind the end of the book when the Creature leaves Victor Frankenstein aboard the ship in the North Pole. 

The story moves on to 1816’s “Year Without a Summer,” where Lord Byron (Daniel Moore), Claire Clairmont (Morgan Miller), Percy, and Mary have their now iconic contest to see who can write the scariest ghost story. Fellow writer John Polidori (Strother Stingley) acts as the judge of the contest. Mary reveals that she wrote Percy into the story — not as the monster, but the “creator of monsters,” and how she fears him ever reading it. This small part is quite touching, as we see Mary alone on the stage. It highlights, I imagine, how alone she felt surrounded by “great poets.” 

The play skips ahead in time again, with the original four as upper level literary students, and the “reincarnated” Polidori as a scholar on the subject of Frankenstein. He brings up the question as to whether or not Mary actually wrote the book, or if it was a more collaborative effort. This latter scene is a bit jarring, as it does provide some context to Mary’s attitude, but it also seems to come out of nowhere.

The play moves around in time once more, settling on Victor (Jon Stockdale) giving his machine the final touches to bring his Creature to life. This time, he’s convinced he’s got it right, that it won’t end in calamity. He’s been down this road too many times, after all. All of these scenes take place in the same lab — designed by Tyler and Jess Johnson — which lends itself well to the overarching theme of pondering when a creator no longer has control of their creation.

The performances are absolutely stellar with each actor bringing nice touches to their roles. Eckstrom gives Percy his (expected) air of arrogance while also being tender when interacting with Mary. Williams plays Mary as confident and stubborn, with an edge of vulnerability — because what 18-year-old wouldn’t be a little scared of making something so enduring?

Moore’s Byron is bombastic to cover how insecure he is, while Miller’s Clairmont is so full of hope and desire to be seen as someone important. Elsewhere, Stockdale’s Victor is (expectedly) neurotic but incredibly endearing at the same time,and Henry’s Creature is simultaneously verbose and childlike, exploring the world through touch and learning from books through osmosis. Director Doug Savitt guides the audience through this fascinating story cycle, while the costuming choices from Kyrstin and Will Ezzell help provide a cohesive understanding of the roles these archetypes play.

If you’re looking for something to round out your spooky season, or if you’re a Frankenstein nerd like me, or if you just really love high-quality, immersive, atmospheric theater, this show is going to make your October.

The Frankenstein Rubrics runs through Sunday, Oct. 22, at The Magnetic Theatre. For details and tickets, visit themagnetictheare.org.

(Photo by Cheyenne Dancy)