Review: 'Frankenstein' is Gory, Realistic and Frightening

By: ROBERT McKINNEY | SPECIAL TO THE HERALD COURIER | TriCities.com
Published: October 08, 2009

I, personally, do not like serious horror books, movies or plays so, naturally, I found the Barter Theatre’s “Frankenstein” too gross, too gory, too realistic and too nightmare-inducing for my taste. Aficionados of realistic horror, however, should revel in the blood, guts and superb casting and special effects.
One of the things that makes this rendition of Mary Shelley’s novel especially disturbing is that the creature created by Doctor Victor Frankenstein (Ezra Colón) is not the wooden, creaky monster so often presented, but one that, although thoroughly repulsive, is far more human in appearance. Thanks to designer Ryan Fisher and an over-the-wall performance by Nicholas Piper the creature seems far more human than ghoul – far more like ourselves. And, that recognition of the monster that lies just below our own psyches is the truly frightening part of all of us. What tiny trigger or malfunction within my brain could suddenly transform me – or you – into a murderer, rapist, abuser or raging lunatic?
We’ve all seen it happen if only in the newspapers and all of us know, I think, that it could happen to us. This is a shocking thought, but, I believe, one of the ways we get such thoughts out of our systems is to experience such transformations vicariously through horror books, movies and plays, sort of the way a lightning rod allows excess electrical energy to dissipate itself into the earth.
Ezra Colón, as Victor Frankenstein, comes across at first as a bit too much of an everyman instead of a mad scientist, but, once contemplated, this becomes an obvious intention of the play’s excellent direction by Rick Rose. Strange and horrible doings by mad scientists are far less frightening than the same things done by someone who seems much more like ourselves.
The best performance in the production comes from young Nathan Whitmer as Henry Clerval, Victor’s lifelong friend. Although a good man, Clerval finds himself being drawn more and more into the situation that his friend and colleague has created and turned loose upon society. Much as we American taxpayers are drawn deeper and deeper into supporting our government’s monstrous creations such as nuclear weapons, wars and as yet unknown horrors far greater than even these.
Whether you enjoy looking at horror philosophically or just enjoy getting your trousers dampened a bit, there’s much to like about this play. If, of course, you like that sort of thing.
There’s a large cast of Barter regulars as well as some talented young actors including Mchale Parrish Bright, Lily Brock, Logan Fritz, Madison Lawson and Matthew Torbett.
This play is too serious and too gory for the faint of heart. It is serious horror at its best and must be recognized as such. I certainly recommend that you think carefully before taking younger members of the family to see it and the same goes for those of us prone to nightmares or on certain medications – and I mean the last very seriously.