If you want start studded entertainment then this is the one for you – it's almost as if the National Theatre has opted to put all of it's big name artists for this year into the same production:
Frankenstein, directed by
Danny Boyle, and staring
Benedict Cumberbatch and
Jonny Lee Miller.
If you don't know who Danny Boyle is then you have some serious catching up to do, on the other hand you might know Cumberbatch better by his most recent TV character: Sherlock (Holmes), and Jonny Lee Miller played Boyle's 'Sick Boy' in
Trainspotting.
Danny Boyle hasn't directed a play in fifteen years, but prior to the success of
Trainspotting he directed quite a lot of theatre for the Royal Court. This time round the material is by Nick Dear, based on Mary Shelley's monster of course, which tells the familiar tale from the point of view of the monster, who's must deal with the horror he elicits wherever he goes, the parental neglect, which leads to his confusion at the world and his steep and often violent learning curve.
Interestingly Cumberbatch and Miller are playing both roles – they're alternating each performance, one the doctor and one his creation – Boyle is staying true to Shelley's theme of alter-egos and the actors report that this has made the process even more interesting for them.
Underworld are doing the music.
If you can't get tickets the play will be broadcast live to cinemas around the world on the 17th of March, so there's still an opportunity to see it.
