Cappies Review: 'Frankenstein' At Meridian High School

By Grace Drost of Chantilly High School

Shadows cast by high industrial beams provide the perfect hiding ground for a creature that wishes to remain unseen, slinking around, feeling aimless and lonely. Meridian High School's production of Frankenstein was a deliciously dark and meaningful glimpse into loneliness and loss.

Adapted from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Meridian High School's version of Frankenstein was their own creation, coming alive at the school in 2020. It follows Mary Shelley as she pens Frankenstein, haunted by both real people from her past and the deaths of the fictional characters she writes. A deeper dive into themes of feminism and grief, the show reflects on the lives of both Mary Shelley and the creature, exploring the parallels between author and monster.

Abby Berg was a powerful presence as both Mary Shelley and the creature. As the author, Berg commanded the room, filling each moment with the fight of a tough-willed woman possessing equally strong grief and fear. As the monster, Berg employed lithe, creeping movements, and swung around the industrial steampunk set as if it were the creature's own personal playground. They looked larger than life up on top of the sets, wholly owning the height and intensity of the creature. Samantha Grooms as Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley's ghostly mother, brought a warm and loving feeling to the stage that contrasted Berg's cold exterior. She portrayed a woman with a large heart, and both the firm and gentle nature of a mother asking her child to let her go.

Alexis West as Elizabeth Lavenza soared as the representation of a freed woman. She leaned into the soft, demure side of her character in the initial scenes of the show, by the end brandishing a knife and becoming just as threatening as she was reserved. West embodied a determined and solid aura as this version of Frankenstein changed the narrative and gave Elizabeth a way out.

The special effects team, Naomi Lewis, Millie Beaudry, Carlos Ortiz and Sean Cuniffe, certainly understood how to create an atmosphere of horror and anticipation. They set up a voice changer on Berg's mic, to make the voice deeper when Berg performed as the creature. Controlled live in the booth, the special effects team did an excellent job keeping up with the pace of the show and ensuring the voices switched at the proper times. Projections were also used to set the tone of the show, placing grim backgrounds and terrifying horror movie-esque videos into the scenes to further add to uneasiness. Working hand-in-hand with the special effects was Carlos Ortiz, who spent seven months creating music for the show. Utilizing instruments such as a pan flute, ocarina and acoustic guitar, Ortiz crafted a specialized soundtrack for the one-of-a-kind play.

Amongst the dim blue and green lights of the theater, Mary Shelley's true character shone as she dealt with grief and loss through her creature. Meridian High School's production was a heart wrenching exploration into the struggle of dealing with internal monsters.