Be Still My Heart: Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller Do Danny Boyle's Frankenstein*
By Cindy Davis | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (20)
For those of us lamenting the lack of new “Sherlock” episodes and the opportunity to see more of Benedict Cumberbatch, this news makes the day a little bit brighter. London’s National Theater Live is giving us the opportunity to see performances of Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein at theaters across the country (by some miracle, even close to me), even if we’re nowhere near the UK. Nick Dear’s (“Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Persuasion) play, based on Mary Shelley’s classic tale of a creature cast out into a cruel world by his creator, stars Jonny Lee Miller (“Dexter, Eli Stone,” Trainspotting, The Escapist) and Cumberbatch (The Whistleblower, Four Lions). And in one of the coolest twist-ups ever, two performances will be recorded, each one featuring the lead roles reversed. That’s right, one performance will feature Miller as the creature and Cumberbatch as the creator and the next, Cumberbatch as creature and Miller as creator. If you are anything like me, you just ran to your bunk.
Wait! Come back—here’s a little snippet of the production:
The March 17th and 24th performances will be recorded and broadcast live to some venues; other screenings will have later releases so check your area and theaters for actual dates.
*If that title sounds dirty, it’s because my mind ran right to all its dirty places.
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Comments
Posted by: PaddyDog at March 14, 2011 5:06 PM
I know I already posted this when Joanna covered it, but I saw this Live in the National Theatre back in February.
It is overall really good with only a few bumps. The set design is minimal which one doesn't typically associated with 19th century stories, but it worked well.
There is one sort of strange steampunk scene that I kind of felt was put in there just to show they could do it, but apart from that everything set-wise works.
It drags a little toward the end: Frankenstein and his bride aren't really convincing as a couple that really love each other, but the acting from the two leads is superb. The role of the monster is very physical, and worth seeing for that aspect alone: almost like abstract dance.
The story is told from the monster's perspective which gives it a fresher feeling.
Plus, I was in row #2. Jonny Lee Miller was naked in front of me for the first 15 minutes.