Review: MARY - THE BIRTH OF FRANKENSTEIN at ASB Waterfront Theatre

                   "Monsters are not born, they are created, shaped by rejections, betrayals, loss        

                                                  of freedoms, and silenced…”

Entirely riveting from its opening fork of lightning and thunderous bolt, MARY: BIRTH OF FRANKENSTEIN  is enthralling, exciting, emotional and eerie!  When we think Gothic, what do we imagine? Dark shadows, ghosts, a tense atmosphere, a feeling of being trapped, monsters? The Romantics were fascinated with the mysterious, the infinite, and the supernatural elements found in folklore and dreams. As the curtain opens, the features of the towering set (John Verryt) are menacingly Gothic. Towering columns, an entry of iron stairs hidden behind fluttering grey shadowy gossamer curtains, a curving iron staircase, a spilling bookcase; it’s a stylized castle complete with a mezzanine balcony. The atmospheric lighting (Jo Kilgour) captures a world that feels sinister, ghostly, much larger than us, supernatural, slightly unnerving.

Creatively crafted and realised to present a cohesive reimagining of the mind of the woman who came to write this classic novel, this is the spectacular world premiere of a quality script.   An inspired creative team is led by director Oliver Driver and performed by an ensemble of outstanding actors. Because the plot is simple, other factors can shine: messages of power, and loss, messages about the monsters within, messages on the wings of words. This is not only theatre at its perfect best. This is ART.

It is the summer of 1816, Genevra. Byron has fled England, leaving behind a failed marriage, notorious affairs and mounting debts. He spends that summer at Lake Geneva with his lover John Polidori,  poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, his wife Mary and Mary’s pregnant half-sister Claire Clairmont, with whom Byron has had an affair whilst in London. That night they meet up at Bryon’s home for a night of debauchery, and laudenaum-induced transcendence into hallucination.

Firmly thrown into the world of the Romantics (1798 – 1832) with the flamboyant entrances of Alfred, Lord Byron (Tom Clarke) and his lover, John Polidori (Arlo Green) , we quickly grasp the Romantic’s value of imagination over reason, feelings and intuition over rules, and nature as the teacher of the human spirit. They revel in Immersive emotions and inner feelings rather than structure, control and boundaries. Line delivery is energized, polished and well-shaped. The poet was a unique creator expressing his own personal truth.  

Arlo Green and Tom Clarke collaborate with ease to capture the colourful, indeed notorious “awfully bad boys” in a “league of incest”.   They care little for convention and convey with aplomb the scandalous pair. Arlo Green is the perfect posturer, arm extended, his dress coat tails floating out behind him. Tom Clarke’sportrayal of Byron is entirely truthful, dynamic and mesmerising, skillfully capturing Byron’s constant need to be loved and admired, and his obvious delight in bisexual affairs.

When Claire Claremont (Timme Cameron) enters, seemingly simple, girlish and elegantly feminine in pink ruffles and feathers, it is clear his former dalliance with her is of little interest to him. His attitude is monstrous and unkind. Excellent work from Timme Cameron who immediately establishes the jealousy and rivalry between the two sisters, tries so desperately to gain acceptance from Bryon, and aligns her emotions with every nuance echoed in movement and voice.

Already the spectacular costume design (Sarah Voon) has entranced us – not only do they convey the Romantic period, they also shape our understandings of the natures of these characters. With the entrance of Mary Shelley (Olivia Tennet) in purple, it is clear that colour choice is symbolic. The men flock to her, fascinated by her intellect, her political anarchy and seeming disregard for convention. Olivia Tennet’s resonant delivery of the heavily philosophical and cleverly constructed words remind us that by her parents were two of the most famous intellectuals of her time. No wonder she is so strident about feminist philosophy and women’s rights.

As the night progresses, Mary Shelley is challenged by Byron to write a ghost story.  Act Two opens with sophisticated sound (Leon Radojkovic) and lighting sequences. We are definitely spooked. It is not easy to present horror on stage. It can so easily become comic. And as the monster’s story unfolds, beginning with the murder of the servant Marta, that dramatic suspense creates a sense of unease, and when the corpse of Marta becomes a revenging spirit that can run through the auditorium, we are firmly ensnared in the tension. Riveting performance from Emily Adams who not only plays the hunched, silent, tortured servant Marta but who moves with incredible demoniac and balletic dexterity as the revenging monster. Mesmerising and thoroughly scary! Choreography and movement director Ross McCormack adroitly enhances the director’s vision.

Mary Shelley was a remarkable writer whose work in literature and science remains inspiring. Congratulations to Jess Sayer, Tim Finn and Oliver Driver who “seized every opportunity to refine, test and experiment with the script.” That polish is evident in the creative cohesion and final powerful product.  The closing scene underscores Mary Shelley's internal struggles, her moral convictions, the sorrow resulting from the loss of her child, her intricate relationships, the societal expectations placed upon women, and the enduring haunting influence of the supernatural. Those powerful words resonate long after the show has ended: “monsters are not born, they are created, shaped by rejections, betrayals, loss of freedoms, and silenced…”

This is an outstanding polished piece of ART - theatre at an international standard. DO NOT MISS IT. 

Glenda Pearce