February 25, 2011

Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein – in pictures

When the Oscar-winning director brought Mary Shelley's gothic tale to the stage with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, was the result fantastic or frightening?

frankenstein: Frankenstein — Mary Shelley's 1818 tale of scientist Victor Frankenstein and his damaged, vengeful Creature thrilled and scandalised 19th-century London ... and has cast a long shadow over stage and screen ever since Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

frankenstein: Benedict Cumberbatch as Frankenstein and Jonny Lee Miller as The Creature — When Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours director Danny Boyle decided to bring Frankenstein to London's National theatre, he was adamant two actors must alternate in its symbiotic lead roles. 'Frankenstein and the Creature literally create each other: every other night they reinhabit each other,' explained Boyle Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

frankenstein: FRANKENSTEIN, National Theatre 2011, directed by Danny Boyle — 'Could we find two actors who could do it?' Boyle wondered. He went for 'telly's Benedict Cumberbatch' and 'American telly's Jonny Lee Miller' – partly because of their deep mutual respect (pictured above). 'The dialogue between us is selfless and co-operative,' Cumberbatch assured reporters Photograph: Catherine Ashmore/National Theatre

frankenstein: FRANKENSTEIN, National Theatre 2011, directed by Danny Boyle — Unfortunately, playwright-adapter Nick Dear's dialogue was not of the same quality. 'The script often dragged as badly as the Creature's foot when he learned to walk,' observed the Express's Paul Callan Photograph: Catherine Ashmore/National Theatre

frankenstein: FRANKENSTEIN, National Theatre 2011, directed by Danny Boyle — But critics agreed this was about the only flaw in a production that provoked general ecstasy. 'Frankenstein is the most viscerally exciting and visually stunning show in town,' panted Charles Spencer in the Telegraph Photograph: Catherine Ashmore/National Theatre

frankenstein: Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomie Harris — But which actor had the edge? Was it Cumberbatch, with his 'unforgettable', 'funny and vicious' performances? Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

frankenstein: Naomie Harris and Jonny Lee Miller in Frankenstein — Or Miller, who, according to the Independent's Paul Taylor, 'takes us further into the feeling'? Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

frankenstein: Jonny Lee Miller (The Creature) — The verdict was as divided as the audience's sympathies, but there was one thing on which even the gore-and-nudity-hating Daily Mail agreed: 'Despite the hype, the show does not disappoint' Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

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