Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus Reviews

Washington Post- Somewhat Recommended

"...The Creature is brought to menacing, pitiable life by the burly but graceful Vato Tsikurishvili. There’s no denying the visceral power of his birth scene: He crawls toward us, shivering and hyperventilating from the shock of sudden consciousness, before Prometheus tries to help him walk on two feet. It’s a pity he doesn’t rise from Prometheus’s makeshift operating table (the set and props are by Phil Charlwood) until a third of the way through the show, which buzzes with Synetic’s usual athleticism and conceptual ambition but is also opaque, repetitive and — in the multiuse confines of the Thomas Jefferson Theatre — simply difficult to see."

MetroWeekly- Highly Recommended

"...You just can’t keep a creative powerhouse down. Synetic may labor on without a dedicated performance space, but their Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus simply soars. A beautifully-orchestrated feast for the senses, this is a classic Synetic-style spectacle of sound, movement and inventive story-telling."

Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended

"...Across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, Synetic Theater–renowned for its physical, wordless interpretations of classic literature–has now taken on Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus (the full title of Shelley's novel), crafting a visually stunning, wordless work that pares the story down to its essentials. Rather than using Shelley's novel as a template, director Paata Tsikurishvili and adaptor Nathan Weinberger have fused elements of it with the ancient inspiration for the story: the Greek myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and brought it to earth for humans to use."

MD Theatre Guide- Highly Recommended

"...As the director (and co-founder of Synetic Theatre) Paata Tsikurishvili says in his playbill note, creation always demands a price and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a classic example. Familiar as we may be with the Gothic novel and Dr. Victor Frankenstein's attempt to displace God by creating a human being through scientific technique, Synetic's new adaptation, which adopts the full title of Shelly's classic, still shocks and entertains. Managing Director Ben Cunis opened the evening with a reminder that art reflects civilization, adding enigmatically, "but that is a two-way street." He went on to speak about Synetic's goal to create something great, leaving the audience to wonder just what they will see on stage that may reflect aspects of our current society."

BroadwayWorld- Highly Recommended

"...In crafting the world premiere interpretation, the Synetic team - director Paata Tsikurishvili, choreographer Irina Tsikurishvili, and resident dramaturg/adapter Nathan Weinberger - keep the essential framework of Mary Shelly's 1818 horror masterpiece of Dr. Victor Frankenstein who creates an intelligent, living creature in an unorthodox experiment. But the Synetic artists lean into the novel's subtitle, "Modern Prometheus," adding scenes with Fire (Philip Fletcher) weaving in the age-old story of a titan who steals fire from the gods to give to humans to advance their civilization and is brutally punished by the gods for this act."

DC Theater Arts- Highly Recommended

"...Synetic Theater presents Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, a reimagining of Mary Shelley's classic that draws inspiration from the tale of Prometheus - the hero of Greek myth who defied Zeus by stealing fire from the Gods and gifting it to humanity. Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili, Frankenstein stands out as one of the most creative and powerful productions that I've seen in quite some time."