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Review: Mary The Birth of Frankenstein

It’s been argued that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein kicked off the sci-fi genre of fiction writing by mixing technology and horror to produce a frenzied gothic story that is now a classic. Written when Shelley was just 18 years old, the genesis of the tale is just as famous as the book. 

In Auckland Theatre Company’s Mary: The Birth of Frankenstein by Jess Sayer, infamous night Shelley created the story is superbly reimagined in all its Gothic glory. 

In this re-telling, Mary (Olivia Tennet) spends time at a mansion in Switzerland with her lover Percy Bysshe Shelley (Dominic Ona-Ariki), writer and doctor John Polidori (Arlo Green), her step sister Claire Clairmont (Timmie Cameron), and the flamboyant Lord George Byron (Tom Clarke). They are served by a long suffering, mute, and elderly maid Marta (Emily Adams).

One evening, during a storm, the drug addled Byron insists everyone create a horror story and Mary’s turns out to be one that will frighten even the most cynical of people for generations to come. 

This group is a complex set of characters with intense passions, a definite sense of entitlement, and a tendency for one up-man ship fuelled by massive insecurities and a fair amount of drugs and alcohol. 

Spending an evening together in a spooky mansion with dim lighting and a thunderstorm to boot, it’s no wonder the stories that emerged were of the spine tingling variety. 

The script stays true to the Gothic traditions of Shelley’s era but there’s a modern sensibility here too, particularly in the humour. There are touches of farce in the dialogue, especially from Bryon, but there is always a darker edge to the writing. The laughs are there, but we feel ourselves uneasy because there are more sinister undertones in each utterance. 

Clarke plays up the theatrical side of Byron superbly and veers into cruelty then affability with a masterful smoothness. In one scene he describes the attributes of a vampire to Mary with such seductive and chilling command one might almost expect him to be one himself. 

Tennet is simply glorious as Mary. She balances the characters vulnerability and astuteness incredibly well and it is a delight to see Mary grow in confidence to the point where she finally unleashes the supposed ‘monster within.’ When she actually starts her story the effect is nightmarish and hypnotic. 

Green, Cameron, and Ona-Ariki are equally superb. Cameron managing to create the perfect Georgian ‘mean girl’ but one justified by her treatment by Byron and society. Green’s Polidori has an effete air about him and a certain sarcasm, but he has a magnetism that is palpable. Bysshe Shelley under Ona-Ariki’s careful portrayal is vulnerable yet ambitious and of all of them, perhaps the one with most to lose. 

Then there is Marta. She may not speak, but Adams clever portrayal of this ageing servant means she is a strong presence in the play and certainly makes up for her muteness later as the tale gets more sinister. 

This is a play with impeccable production values, the costumes are lush, there is an appropriately chic but ominous set, and the soundscape and lighting are top notch. In Oliver Driver’s capable hands, Mary provides scene after scene of fantastic moments as illustrated in the first act by a very stylish dance routine where the characters are drinking heavily and taking drugs.

All up, Mary: The Birth of Frankenstein is a perfect gothic melodrama with modern sensibility and humour that proves good storytelling never goes out of style. Whether you are a fan of horror and sci-fi or not, this interpretation of the Frankenstein story will definitely satisfy. 

Note – read an interview with Olivia Tennet here.

Mary – the Birth of Frankenstein

23 Aug – 7 Sept 2025

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