Electrifying Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Opens Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's Season
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company has launched its 2026-2027 season with a production that arrives perfectly timed for the Halloween season. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, David Catlin's inventive stage adaptation of the gothic classic, is playing at the company's theater in downtown Baltimore, and demand has been strong enough that the run was extended before the show even officially opened. Audiences now have through Nov 8, 2026 to catch this spine-tingling retelling of literature's most famous monster.
Rather than simply dramatizing the novel, Catlin's script places Mary Shelley herself at the center of the story. The evening begins at Lord Byron's villa in 1816, where Mary Godwin, her future husband Percy Shelley, Byron, Dr. John Polidori, and Mary's stepsister Claire Clairmont pass a gloomy night with flirtation, teasing, and a challenge to see who can invent the most frightening ghost story. When Mary takes up the dare, the friends begin to act out her tale, and the play shifts into a story within a story within a story, moving from Victor Frankenstein's rescue from the Arctic ice back through his obsessive quest to create life and the tragic consequences that follow. The transitions between the lighthearted house party and the darkening narrative flow smoothly, and the contrast between the warm companionship of the friends and the bleak relationship between creator and creation gives the evening its emotional power. Along the way the play raises a haunting question about what truly separates a monster from a man.
Founding Artistic Director Ian Gallanar co-directs with Lizzi Albert, and together they make inventive use of the company's distinctive Globe-style space. Characters emerge from the house and the balconies, Elizabeth Lavenza delivers her letters to Victor from high above the audience, and the ghost of Frankenstein's mother glides along the balcony's edge. The suspense builds steadily rather than relying on cheap jump scares, culminating in an ending that lands with chilling force.
The ensemble of five actors shifts fluidly between their historical roles and the characters in Mary's story. Fabiolla Da Silva is Mary Godwin, the storyteller whose quietly mesmerizing narration draws the audience deeper into the horror, and she also plays the gentle Elizabeth Lavenza. Vince Eisenson transforms from the playful, affectionate Percy Shelley into a Victor Frankenstein whose curiosity curdles into consuming obsession, a fevered portrait of the original mad scientist. Joshua Williams plays the mischievous Lord Byron and then the Creature, delivering a heartbreaking performance that finds deep humanity inside the so-called monster, especially in his scenes with a kindly blind hermit and the anguished outpouring that follows his rejection. Jose O. Guzman brings restless energy to Dr. Polidori, the explorer Walton, and Victor's loyal friend Henry, while Dawn Thomas Reidy moves from the comically insistent Claire Clairmont to roles ranging from Frankenstein's tender mother to a looming, winged figure of Death.
The design team creates an atmosphere so immersive that it functions almost as a sixth character. Katie McCreary's lighting plays darkness against sudden flashes, washes of eerie green, and veins of lightning strung around the balcony edges that pulse whenever life sparks onstage. Adam Mendelson's sound design adds storms, cracking ice, and a constant throbbing heartbeat that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. Shartoya R. Jn. Baptiste's deceptively simple set hides a trap door that serves as grave and laboratory alike, backed by a catacomb wall laced with corpse parts. Kristina Lambdin's period costumes are complemented by Hannah Brill's hair, wig, and makeup design, including the Creature's striking stitched limbs and prosthetics. Chris Reuther's haunting puppet of the Creature's would-be companion, properties by Mika Nakano, and Mel Gabel's convincing fight choreography round out a production with plenty of terror and violence balanced by unexpected humor and heart.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein runs approximately two hours with one intermission and plays through Nov 8, 2026 at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, 7 S. Calvert Street in Baltimore.