FRANKENSTEIN By Alexander Utz Based on - The Playwrights' Center

FRANKENSTEIN By

Alexander Utz

Based on Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus"

Alexander Utz alexander.utz716@ 716.392.3418

Cast of Characters

MARY SHELLEY:

The author of Frankenstein.

PERCY SHELLEY:

Her fiance, the poet.

LORD BYRON:

The poet.

CLAIRE CLAIRMONT:

Mary's stepsister.

DR. POLIDORI:

Lord Byron's physician.

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN:

A scientist.

CAPTAIN WALTON:

An Arctic explorer.

HENRY CLERVAL:

Frankenstein's best friend.

ELIZABETH LAVENZA:

Frankenstein's fiancee.

JUSTINE MORITZ:

Frankenstein's friend.

PROFESSOR WALDMAN:

A professor at the University of Ingolstadt.

PROFESSOR KREMPE:

A professor at the University of Ingolstadt.

THE CREATURE:

Frankenstein's creation.

WILLIAM:

Frankenstein's brother.

THE COMPANION:

The second creation.

ACT ONE

Lightning and thunder: a storm. In the flashes of lightning which illuminate the stage, we see glimpses of WALTON looking out with a telescope, CLERVAL helping VICTOR stand, JUSTINE and WILLIAM playing hide and seek, and VICTOR cradling ELIZABETH's dead body. A loud clap of thunder awakens MARY from her dream, center, gasping for air.

MARY Another dream-vision. Another nightmare.

SHELLEY is with her.

SHELLEY Again? What did you see this time.

MARY I cannot describe the - there were images of people, but fragmented -

SHELLEY Let's go back to sleep. We don't want to be unkempt around Lord Byron tomorrow.

MARY (Dry.)

Of course not.

SHELLEY What?

MARY You care more about Lord Byron than you do me.

Pause.

SHELLEY I-

MARY Let's go back to sleep, Percy.

Pause.

SHELLEY We will be wed, Mary. Soon.

Blackout.

2.

Another flash of lightning brings a sitting room to light. Shelley stands by the window, watching the storm. BYRON sits in an armchair, idly flipping through a copy of 'Fantasmagoriana'. Mary and CLAIRE sit side by side on a chaise. POLIDORI stands before the group, clutching a handful of papers. Inspired by the thunderstorm and the flash of lightning, Shelley exclaims:

SHELLEY (cont'd) "I sing of Chaos and Eternal Night

Taught by the heavn'ly Muse to venture down

The dark descent, and up to reascend - "

MARY Percy!

SHELLEY What?

CLAIRE He's nearly finished.

BYRON Milton?

(To Shelley.)

SHELLEY Who else?

MARY Do go on, doctor.

POLIDORI "Aubrey's weakness increased; the effusion of blood produced symptoms of the near approach of death. He desired his sister's guardians might be called, and when the midnight hour had struck, he related composedly what the reader had perused - he died immediately after. The guardians hastened to protect Miss Aubrey; but when they arrived, it was too late."

CLAIRE Oh no!

POLIDORI "Lord Ruthven had disappeared, and Aubrey's sister had glutted the thirst... of a Vampyre!"

3.

BYRON Excellent work, Polidori.

POLIDORI Bone-chilling?

BYRON Almost.

CLAIRE I thought it was.

SHELLEY This storm is bone-chilling. I wish we could be out on the water.

CLAIRE I don't know what I would do if I were to encounter a Vampyre.

BYRON Hopefully you'd fare better than our poor Aubrey.

POLIDORI So you must think the characters at least were compelling -

CLAIRE Would you save me, George?

BYRON Always needing to be saved, aren't they?

He playfully pulls Claire onto his lap. She kisses him.

POLIDORI At least my story scared someone.

MARY It was very good, doctor.

POLIDORI Thank you, Mary.

SHELLEY What about you, Mary? Do you have a story for us?

MARY Oh, I don't know.

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