An Imitating the Dog and Leeds Playhouse co-production, directed by Andrew Quick, Pete Brooks and Simon Wainwright, and performed by Georgia-Mae Myers and Nedum Okonyia.

A storm gathers outside. In an ordinary home, the lights flicker, a radio crackles, and an extraordinary tale begins.

As a couple confront their own fears about impending parenthood, the story of Frankenstein erupts into life around them, as everyday objects are transformed into glaciers, a ship at sea, a dissecting room, a house on fire…

imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse’s multimedia exploration of Mary Shelley’s Gothic classic is a psychological thriller which dares to ask the question – what is it to be human?

There were some very clever parallels drawn here. I enjoy when a classic text is either inspiration, reimagined or given a post modern twist.

A marrying of genres and concepts, of the ages, of artists and creators.

Mary Shelley’s text was performed with passion, emotion and intensity.

And the claustrophobic scenes between the couple who had just been met with a positive pregnancy test were awkward, at times dark, and again, performed with passion, emotion and intensity.

There was a lot going on and to be honest whilst I sat there admiring each and every element and appreciating the creativity, it might sound strange to say that it was almost too much.

I absolutely admired and respected how the interweaving two ‘texts’, interacted with each other and reflected common themes of humanity, creation, love, life and death.

However, I wasn’t sure what to do with it after matters had concluded. What to feel beyond appreciation and admiration for the creation of this art form. Maybe I don’t need to do anything.

I don’t approach theatre or any art form with a technical, critical eye, I approach it as a willing observer and, you could say, a passivity, standing back to allow it to ‘happen to me’,for it to do something to me, and curious to see how it makes me feel.

That said, in the moment of their scenes, the couple’s thoughts and discussions about their pending parenthood, stung me. I’m not a parent even though I very much wanted to be.

And so I bounced around between being somewhat sympathetic and then intensely irritated, as the couple navigated the 9 months of pregnancy.

And it was feeling those emotions that made me want an exploration of their relationship and more context to the concept.

But I know that wasn’t the point of this piece.

And when presented with the tragic and classic tale of Frankenstein and the sorrow of both the monster and his creator, I wanted to experience the full scale of the company’s presentation of this story.

But I know, this wasn’t the point either.

And there was some passionate and challenging choreography as the couple physically demonstrated their inner turmoil and battles going on both with each other and their own emotions, with grappling, push/pull movements and acrobatic poses.

I guess what I’m saying is that there is no element of this production that I can say was poorly executed, was not to be admired and didn’t make me want to commend the actors on their performances, and the crew on the execution of each artistic and narrative vision.

It was impressive. The projections, lighting, special effects – all playing with the senses and keeping you captivated for the duration.

And I acknowledge my thoughts may sound too negative to find any intended positivity in them. I guess I invested too much attention to each element to enjoy the sum of its parts (which, perversely, somehow left me wanting…).

But what do you think?

At the time of writing, there is one more opportunity (Thursday 14 March), to see Frankenstein at The Lowry,

For more details, visit https://thelowry.com/whats-on/frankenstein-imitating-the-dog/