Frankie Finsbury
Ever wondered what Frankenstein’s monster gets up to without his creator? Ever wondered what it would look like for him to walk in his master’s shoes and assemble his own creature? Think every nook and cranny of Frankenstein has been explored?
In To Be Frank, audiences are introduced anew to the kind and child-like monster at the heart of Shelley’s novel. In this version, he is simply ‘Frank’ and is entirely non-verbal (aside from vague “what-the hell”-resembling utterances). Through the show, we wordlessly follow Frank (played exquisitely by Michael Hockey) as he tries and fails to create a friend for himself from a balloon. This plays loosely on themes from the novel, but crucially diverges from any presentation of the character seen before, so much so that it makes the character feel familiar yet fresh, and makes you question why Frankenstein hasn’t been realised in this way before.
Like most clown shows, this relatively simple premise sprawls into many mini vignettes of games and silliness so much so that attempting to blow up a balloon is inflated into a 5-minute segment in which Frank is directed by audience members on exactly how to complete his mission. Even picking up props from the floor (and lots gets dropped through the show) involves a whole procedure of moving each limb in turn to the exact right spot. With this, Hockey masterfully leads the audience through the narrative with absolute hilarity and has the audience in stitches throughout. If you’re into physical comedy, Hockey has an incredible range of tricks up his sleeve to make you laugh, cry, and rage.
Hockey performs Frank with real pathos sympathetic to the novel, and tugs at your heartstrings in various places, all with a glint in his eye that tells you it will all be okay. I was also impressed at the range of Hockey’s performance, as he related to the audience both as a whole and individually so that audiences both young and old were interacted with on their level. Although the show is advertised as 12+, there were a couple of young children in the audience who seemed to love the show every bit as much as the adults who made up the rest of the audience and it was clear that everyone in the room had a unique connection with the monster on stage, which was impressive given it was packed to the rafters.
Alongside this is the stellar performance of Alanna Hall on the guitar. Each of Hockey’s movements is accompanied by an appropriate thrum from their electric guitar which serves as both foley and soundtrack exaggerating every action, and punctuating moments of pain, happiness, and anger. The effect of this is stunning. Every thrash of the guitar contextualises and elevates each scene in increasingly inventive ways and energises the show with an electricity which I haven’t seen in a clown show before. Throughout the show, we viscerally feel Frank’s pain of using limbs which aren’t his, we feel the thrill of finding a first friend/son/lover(?), and we understand the pain of losing them. This is all expressed through Hall’s unique accompaniments to Hockey’s moves, mumbling soliloquies, and groaning ballads. The relationship between Hall and Hockey is totally symbiotic, and the two definitely perform the show as one unit, responding to each other’s cues in such a natural way that I could watch it forever – it is clear the two are incredibly present and having fun on stage, which is infectious.
To Be Frank buzzes and thrashes with life. Never has clowning been more cool.
Recommended Drink: Something green!
Catch To Be Frank at Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard from 5-30 August (not 12, 19, 26) at 14:05 (60 mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Maia Kahn
Freddie Haberfellner
