FRANKENSTEIN; or, the Modern Prometheus.

by Robert Lewis Vaughan from the original 1818 edition of the novelby Mary Shelley

Full-length Drama

This new, fully faithful stage version of Mary Shelley’s horror classic proves that the novel wasn’t merely ahead of its time, but that it’s as relevant as ever in the 21st Century. Opening and closing in the arctic and telling the full story, not only of Victor Frankenstein, Elizabeth, Henry, and his family, but that of The Creature as well, including the exiled Parisian family and their savior, Safie. As the epic story unfolds and Victor and his Creature go to battle, Shelley’s themes — the responsibility of creation, obsession and revenge, love and hate, and, ultimately, devotion and abandonment — emerge, and as The Creature, bit by bit, destroys Victor’s life, we see that the monster knew more about being human, from the beginning to the tragic conclusion, than its human creator ever did.

Production Notes

Character List 

(7M, 4W, 1 Child) 

If you have no restrictions on cast size, use as many actors as you like, do no doubling or tripling, and have as many crew members, etc., as you wish. If cast size is an issue, the play can be done with the breakdown of 7 Men, 4 Women, and a Little Girl, playing the following roles: 

Captain Robert Walton — 30s 

Victor Frankenstein — 20s 

Elizabeth Lavenza — 20s 

Henry Clerval — 20s 

Alphonse; Professor Waldman; M. DeLacey; Ilya — 50s/60s 

Caroline/Crew Member/Man in the Woods – 50s/60s 

Ernest; Felix; Crew Member/Man in the Woods — 20s 

William; Crew Member/Man in the Woods — *See Note 

Justine, the Frankensteins’ ward; Agatha; Female Creature — 20s 

Safie/Crew Member — 20s 

A Little Girl (non-speaking part) 

The Creature, Victor’s Creation — 20s/30s 

* In the novel, William is a child, not sixteen. the playwright aged him to make casting easier. If you can cast a little boy, do so and adjust any lines referencing his age, and lose a crew member. 

Setting 

The Arctic. Mountains of ice surround Walton’s ship. Sails and sheets of ice part to reveal other places. I suggest a mix of the real and the projected. 

Time 

1818* 

*The playwright changed the time to the year in which Mary Shelley first published the book, anonymously, with a preface written by Percy Bysshe Shelley. 

Author

Robert Lewis Vaughan

ROBERT LEWIS VAUGHAN was born in Amarillo, Texas. His family moved between Amarillo, other towns in the panhandle, and so many places in Colorado all through his childhood he can’t remember how many schools he went to. At 18 Robert moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and he never looked back. His plays, including Praying for Rain, The Rest of the Night, and Weird Water, among others, have been produced internationally. He is now working on The Panhandle Plays, a series about the...[FULL BIO]