Sarah Smith

TA 150
Frankenstein Response Paper
5/4/2021

Frankenstein is a dramatic straight play written by Nick Dear, adapted from Mary

Shelley’s 1818 novel of the same name. This show could be considered a classic because of the

popularity of the original novel, and the fame surrounding the monster from the series, often

misnamed as Frankenstein. This production began it’s showings at the Royal National Theatre on

February 22nd, 2011, with an end date of May 2nd of the same year. The showing I watched was

filmed on March 17th and 24th, and was shared online through the National Theatre Live

program. Frankenstein has a serious and dark mood. This production has a semi-realistic style,

with certain elements being more realistic than others. The costume design is incredibly realistic,

with each piece of clothing fitting the time period and location of this showing. The set design is

less realistic, with things like houses being made of glass. For the purposes of this paper, I’ll be

taking an in-depth look at the lighting design of this production.

In this production, the lighting design plays a key role in telling the story of Frankenstein

and his creation. Onstage, there are several lights that create several different effects to represent

feelings, moods, and things that are happening. Hanging directly above the stage are several

hundred lightbulbs that can either light up individually, or be used as a whole to convey an

emotion. At the beginning of the show, the lights are turned on in a wavelike motion to represent

the shocks being sent into The Creature's body. In addition to the actors quick and intense

movements, the lights turn very bright, and then dim quickly to show just how painful these

shocks are for The Creature. As the shocks grow to be even more intense, the lights grow to be

almost too much light, nearly blinding the viewer for a few moments. Light is also used to

represent fire when real fire can’t be used. When The Creature burns down the Old Man’s house
with Felix and Agatha inside, he takes a torch and waves it near the base of the house. Red lights

are used in the background to represent the flames spreading through the house and around it,

and there are also several lights placed directly behind the house that only add to the sense of

urgency. As the Old Man, Felix, and Agatha die, the lights fade, representing their deaths. The

darkness that washes the stage adds to the sense of emptiness that The Creature feels after the

death of his only friend who seemingly lied to him and betrayed him, and the realization that

nobody that can see him will ever care about him. The bulbs hanging above the stage glow bright

while the fire burns, and dim alongside the red lights when the fire is extinguished. These bulbs

almost become representative of how intense the feelings are in a scene, and even show how

many emotions The Creature is experiencing. The lights are also used to represent more subtle

things, like sunlight. Near the beginning of the show The Creature is exposed to sunlight, which

is represented through several beams of yellow light. The Creature is then exposed to moonlight,

which is shown through one single beam of blue and silver light. These lights help not only to

show what The Creature sees, but to understand his motivations. When the sun shines down on

The Creature and we physically see those beams of light, we as the audience understand why he

lies down in the grass and enjoys the warmth on his skin. When the lights change and the sun

sets, we see the single ray of moonlight shining down on the creature and we understand why he

stares up at the sky in amazement. Without seeing these lights, we might be wondering why

Benedict Cumberbatch is randomly staring at the ceiling, rather than understand that The

Creature is looking at the moon and wondering who he is and where he came from. These subtle

meanings that are conveyed through the lighting design are essential to the overall understanding

of the show.
 The lighting design in this production also provided several more basic elements that are

essential to any show. Regular stage lights helped provide visibility for the audience, and help

them to see and appreciate the other elements of the show. If the audience isn’t able to see the

stage, then they can’t see the characters and their costumes, or the beautiful set design. Any

blackouts that are done in the show are done for a reason, mostly to hide sets being changed or

props being moved when necessary. The lighting helps to reveal the shape and form of the actors,

most notably in the very opening of the show when The Creature is being “born”. We see his

silhouette, and the way he moves is made more apparent by the light shining behind the fabric

material on the prop that he’s concealed inside. The design of the lighting in this production also

helped the audience to focus on certain portions of the stage. In the scenes where The Creature is

learning to read and write from the Old Man, only the house and the small area surrounding it is

visible. When the audience is meant to look at Agatha and Felix in the field, the house portion of

the stage is blacked out and light is shown on those two characters and their side of the stage.

These visual cues help the audience focus on the most important parts of what’s happening

onstage, and ensure that they don’t miss an essential plot point.

In Frankenstein, there are several design elements that help to make this show the

masterpiece that it is. The creative team had to work together on almost every piece to make sure

it all told the same story in a visually appealing way. The lighting designer spent lots of time

meticulously planning out what the meaning of each light choice meant, and how the audience

would perceive it. Each light source had a specific purpose that contributed to the overall

meaning of the show, whether it was the hundreds of bulbs hung above the stage, or the

spotlights, or even the small amounts of light that was shown against the back of the stage. The
lighting design of this production heavily contributed to the production quality of this show, and

ensured that it would leave a lasting impression on the audience.