The O-town Scene

November 3, 2011

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/46670

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 12 of 30

theater review theater review theater review theater review theater review theater review Frank is a Monster (S)Mash Oneonta Theatre delivers another hit with 'Frankenstein 1930' At intermission, the crowd raved about the creature that had just been given life. After the second act, they gave a rousing ovation and posed for pictures with the eight- foot monstrosity in the lobby. Oneonta Theatre and its house acting troupe, the Oneonta Theatre Stage Players, have once again stunned audiences with their latest creation, "Frankenstein 1930," which took advantage of Halloween landing on a Monday to stage a run of four shows last week, including one on All Hallow's Eve. Awesomely cool moments prevailed. The mood for Frankenstein was set by the muted tones _ in fact, so muted that the only standout colors in the entire performance were flickering yellow candle lights, electri- cal instruments that glowed blue and the red switch that was thrown to give life to the crea- ture. The set dressing and all costumes were intentionally in black and white as homage to the original 1931 film Frankenstein. The atmosphere, combined with some B-movie qualities and melodrama were most likely a love letter from Patrick Lippincott, the show's co-director, set designer and the crea- ture himself. He noted during an interview in last week's O-Town Scene that the Franken- stein tale is something he's passionate about and has held a reverence for since he was 14 years old. So this past weekend, portraying Franken- stein's Monster _ a role in which he lum- bered about, only able to communicate his gamut of emotions from anger to innocence by grunts _ must have been somewhat of a dream come true. Predictably, in a tale almost 200 years old, he was the show stealer. Each iteration of the story brings a new take on the creature, and the Oneonta Theatre's was certainly gruesome up close. Unfortunately, further back in the seating area, much of the detail was lost. Assistant director Steve Dillon headlined the cast as Victor Frankenstein, the mad scientist striving for perfection and struggling with being a devoted fiance. Dillon's role required a lot of heavy lifting as he was on stage for most of the show and controlled almost every scene he appeared in with strong emotion. Not to be overshadowed, Janeen Bagley and Mike Jacobs held their own behind Dillon as Elizabeth, Victor's betrothed, and Henry Lovitz, his best friend. Each actor commanded the stage when called upon to do so by the script and by the direction from Lippincott and Dillon. Also in support, Jacob Schaf- fer as Frankenstein's assistant Igor provided several comedic interludes, even during the crucial dramatic scenes. His pleas and hopes for "a new friend" brought the audience to chuckles through- out his performance, only to be snapped back to the reality of each moment. During the most iconic scene of the play, the special effects used to bring the creature to life were outstanding. As the thunder sounded through the dark theater, strobes flicked and Frankenstein's instruments lit up. Igor raised a table with a sheet covering a form upon it several feet above the stage. As the antiquated sounds of laboratory instruments whirled and beeped, the climax approached. Suddenly the creature under the sheet shook to life upon the suspended table as Victor laughed manically. Once the table was lowered, Dillon's take on the famous "He's alive! Alive!" lines echoed through the theater, followed by another round of crazed laughter. Not quite Colin Clive's "It's alive!" from the 1931 movie version, but Dillon and Lippincott's monster coming to life would do Clive and the famed Boris Karloff (the 1931 monster) proud. Not to take away from what was generally quality acting, but at times blocking seemed a little clunky with actors not quite sure what to do on stage. Continu- ity was sometimes an issue, like when Igor fought to hold shut a door that no one on the other side was pushing, or when the monster was hiding in the laboratory and he could not be seen, but earlier a character standing in the same place was the focal point of every- one on stage. And within a vision of the play that asked for a lot, at times simpler technical Hannah Colburn Patrick Lippincott as the Creature and Jacob Schaffer as Igor perform in a scene from the One- onta Theatre Stage Players' production of 'Frankenstein 1930.' cues were not always executed. Blackouts seemed to last a little long for the changes that took place and the stage couldn't quite hold three separate sets. At one point, light- ing from one scene flowed over to illuminate Igor's body lying within another setting. Slight glitches on the technical side and with the set only detracted a little. "Frankenstein 1930" packed a lot of fun into two and a half hours. Nit-picking aside, it was a fantastic show. If the Oneonta Theatre Stage Play- ers continue to bite off this much, it can only mean good things for the future of Oneonta- area theater. Trevor Hayes Nov. 3, 2011 O-Town Scene 13

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The O-town Scene - November 3, 2011