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(Off-Broadway)
Frankenstein
Opened 1 Nov 2007
at 37 Arts Theatre

photo by Carol Rosegg
Hunter Foster



Music:Mark Baron
Book & Lyrics:Jeffrey Jackson
Director:
Bill Fennelly
Cast:
Hunter Foster (Vistor Frankenstein), Christiane Noll (Elizabeth), Steve Blanchard (The Creature), Jim Stanek (Henry) and Mandy Bruno (Justine). Esemble: Nick Cartell, Struan Erlenborn, Eric Michael Gillette and Aaron Seretosky
Synopsis:
The timeless, cautionary tale of Victor Frankenstein, whose noble dreams of grandeur, unlocking the mysetery of life, unleash instead a litany of terror and tragedy. Before it is done, everything in his privileged world will be torn asunder, as Victor and his Creature are pit against one another in an epic and deadly war of wills that will lead them across the continent and ultimately to the barren ends of the world.





What the press had to say.....

"With nary a shriek, of either humor or horror, in its drably earnest two hours of throaty sturm und drang"
Charles Isherwood
New York Times

"It's a fright all right, ...just in all the wrong ways. Bombastic and mind-boggling, the musical misfire... ransacks Mary Shelley's gothic classic. No one, creators and cast alike, comes out looking good at the end of two hours. "
Joe Dziemianowicz
New York Daily News

"It would be fun to report that it's so bad, it might rival its competitor (Young Frankenstein)in terms of sheer, if unintentional, laughs. This "Frankenstein" is bad in an all-too-earnest way - it's deadly dull, rather than a campy hoot. The ineptness of its execution is matched only by the cynicism of its creators' intentions"
Frank Scheck
New York Post

"This one is not even a horror show. It is, however, horrible. Author-lyricist Jeffrey Jackson and composer Mark Baron have approached the original with dead - make that deadly - seriousness. Even poor Hunter Foster, a baby-faced satirical hero from "Urinetown" and the last revival of "Little Shop of Horrors," cannot re-animate a project that makes overblown musical claptrap by Frank Wildhorn seem like genius."
Linda Winer
NewsDay

"Considering how "Frankenstein" centers on the forging of a man-made creature, it's bitterly ironic that this ambitious new musical refuses to blaze into life. Thunder. Smoke. Discordant music. And the poor stiff just lies there. Despite the valiant efforts of a solid company and the earnest intentions of writers determined to musicalize a story closer to Mary Shelley's 1816 original than subsequent Hollywood variations, "Frankenstein" was dead on arrival."
Michael Sommers
Star-Ledger

"Foster...is completely captivating in his portrayal of the tortured scientist whose creation brings not acclaim, but despair.....Complementing Foster's performance as Frankenstein is the equally strong Noll as his fiancee, Elizabeth. She is the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability with a soprano so rich and enveloping that you wonder how Victor could ever leave her side. This "Frankenstein" brings the classic story thrillingly to life. No green giant, but you won't miss him."
Julie Reed
Associated Press

"The creators clearly have their eyes on "Les Miserables," but instead have landed on the heap with other Gothic monster-tales-turned-musicals like "Dracula," "Dance of the Vampires," "Lestat" and "Jekyll & Hyde.""
Steven Suskin
Variety

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