Spending months playing the same part, reading the same lines, must get dull for an actor.
No matter how great the play is.
No matter how much of a thrill it would be for a film actor to ply his trade on the stage.
So Danny Boyle may have had a stroke of genius by alternating the casting of Frankenstein and The Creature between Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. (Also, it's canny financially as people might want to see the alternate casting.)
Combine their talents with a soundtrack by Underworld, and there'll be reason for hopes to be high.
I saw it at previews and saw Benedict playing Frankenstein. His portrayal is slightly colder and more detached than his Sherlock Holmes, but only slightly. That's not a criticism and more of a reflection of how Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss write him in the Sherlock series (which you MUST see).
Miller though is incredible. I had never rated him much before but he throws his all into the creature. Like Heath Ledger's Joker, you're compelled and terrified everytime he's on stage. I've read Mary Shelley's novel, which the play is fairly faithful to, so I knew what was coming up but was still gripped. (It reminds me of watching Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and hoping that they would survive the ending).
Whilst some of the supporting cast are a little weak (or maybe under-rehearsed at preview time), the production is stunning, both from the music and the visuals.
Boyle's in charge of the Olympic opening ceremony and I know now we'll be in safe hands.
I'm trying very hard not to spoil here but you absolutely have to be there from the start. The National Theatre reminds you of this via email and they ain't kidding.
The first ten weeks are sold-out.
This Spring, versions featuring both casts will be shown globally in cinemas as a “live” broadcast.
Once the run's over, I'll probably edit this for a more spoiler-y version.
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