Creator and creature

Li says while they thought at the early stages about localizing the story by adding certain Chinese elements, the team later decided to present the story with authenticity:"This is a classic work that will never go out of date, because it is an exploration of life, humanity and love. These are the universal themes shared by humans, which are timeless for however long."

But the Chinese version is not an exact copy of the original, as both directors say they wanted to present new reflections. A key feature in the Chinese version is adding the role of Mary Shelley, who appears onstage in between scenes, without lines, seemingly keeping an eye on the characters with empathy.

Dromgoole says he had been thinking about staging Frankenstein, reflecting on Mary Shelley and the circle around her, and brewing ideas for three or four years.

"I always thought it's very important for Mary Shelley to be at the center of it, because it is essentially a story written by a young woman, over two years when she was pregnant during the process. That's an element of the story which I thought we could try and bring out," Dromgoole says.