Frankenstein Redux

After last week’s viewing of the NT’s production of Frankenstein, yesterday I saw it again. This time with Jonny Lee Miller in the role of the Creature and with Benedict Cumberbatch as Victor Frankenstein.

I think this was the casting that worked best as far as I’m concerned. Good though last week’s combination of Cumberbatch/Creature and Miller/Frankenstein were, it seemed to me that last night’s role reversal played better to the actors’ strengths. Miller brought an extra vulnerability to the role of the Creature, while Cumberbatch was an icier Frankenstein.

Unfortunately, unlike last week, there were a few problems with last night’s broadcast. The audio was slightly out of sync with the video, to the extent where it was noticeable and therefore somewhat irritating. At one point we heard a snatch of conversation between the technical crew. And finally, during the final scene, the sound cut out altogether for about ten seconds.

Still, despite these technical disappointments, it was still a wonderful production to see again, and I’m glad I did.

Addendum: I’ve had a reply to the email I sent to NT Live regarding the technical hitches I listed above. The sync issue was a fault at my local venue, and NT Live will follow that up with Cinemec to try and prevent it happening again in the future. The other two issues were problems in the Olivier theatre during the live performance, for which they apologise. I look forward to seeing future NT Live broadcasts – it’s a great way to see the work of the NT.