Tonight (Thursday), Friday and Saturday, April 27, the drama department of Meridian High School in Falls Church will present a novel new theater production of Danielle Mohman’s play, “Frankenstein,” at the Meridian High auditorium. Based on a view of the dress rehearsal earlier this week, it comes in with very high marks.
“It’s an amazing show. Very ambitious, Incredible female lead who plays Mary Shelley (and more). No weak links in the cast. The gothic costumes are great, the set is dramatic and fascinating!” according to Carol Sly’s advance review.
Of course, the play is based on the famous novel by Mary Shelley. It is directed by Meridian’s enormously talented Shawn Northrip.
In the play, when Mary Shelley sits down to write Frankenstein, she’s 18 years old with everything to prove. Her husband, the poet Percy Shelley, is too in his head to notice his wife’s phenomenal talent. She’s grieving the death of her infant daughter. And in this era of gothic literature, no one wants to believe that the darkness on the page mirrors the storm in her own head. That is, until her mother shows up. The only problem is, her mother Mary Wollstonecraft died when Shelley was just ten days old.
This adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel explores monsters and the women who create them. It’s a play that asks the age-old question: How far would you go to outrun your ghosts?
Audrey Lang writes, “Danielle Mohlman’s adaptation of ‘Frankenstein’ depicts a heartbreaking and remarkable story of love, womanhood, and family, especially mothers and their children. So often we only get to see the devastating effects that toxic masculinity can have on female characters; this play does a great job of touching on its ramifications for each and every character. With so many characters, it’s especially impressive that they are all truly and deeply explored in Mohlman’s expansive story! I also appreciate the exploration of women who create dark stories and have dark thoughts, and how they are (mis)treated by society.
In the Meridian production, Mary Shelley, the author of the novel, is played by Abby Berg. She also portrays the monster/Frankenstein in the telling/writing of the novel.
Mary’s mother Mary Wollstonecraft, long dead, is played by Samantha Grooms. She is a key figure in the play, a foil for Mary’s ideas as she writes. In real life, Wollstonecraft was a renowned women’s rights activist who authored “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” in 1792, a classic of rationalist feminism that is considered the earliest and most important treatise advocating equality for women.
Percy Shelley, Mary’s husband and a competitive writer in this telling, is played by Dante De Sio. Victor Frankenstein is played by Hugo Ratheau. Victor’s friend and classmate in school, Henry Clerval, is played by Alex Fulghum. Victor’s adopted sister Elizabeth is played by Alexis West. Victor’s mother, Caroline, is played by Abby Fred. Victor’s father, Alphonse, is played by Ben Kline. Madame Delacy is played by Izzy Baskins. Delacy’s daughter Agatha is played by Carmen Ortiz. Young brother William Frankenstein is played by Jack Desantis. Williams’ Nanny is Justine, played by Julia Wolf.
This play is recommended for students 12 and older. Advanced ticket sales are $15. Student “rush tickets” are available at the door for $5. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., curtain is at 7:30 p.m. each night.
