Frankenstein goes cyberpunk
AFTER spreading the feelgood buzz with Sepet The Musical in September, Malaysian-british theatre company Liver and Lung Productions is taking a different direction with its Frankenstein 2039 show that plays at the GMBB venue in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 14.
The theatre outfit is rolling out a futuristic update of British authour Mary Shelly’s horror classic Frankenstein.
This immersive musical is written and choreographed by Englishwoman Hannah Shields and directed and composed by Shafeeq Shajahan, the co-founders of Liver and Lung.
The two-hander features both Shafeeq and Shields in the lead roles.
The Kl-born Shafeeq plays Victor Frankenstein while Shields, who hails from Leeds, is the Creature. Music direction is handled by local music producer Darren Luke, who has been tasked to create a soundtrack inspired by “digital terror”.
“Horror fascinates people, especially Malaysians, and it is a really good medium to examine society ... what we are fearful of and things that can’t be categorised,” says Shields, 26, who is based in KL.
“So we wanted to create something scary for today’s audience and that’s often the future and the rise of technology. It is the fear of the unknown.”
British science fiction anthology TV series Black Mirror has been a reference point for this theatre work.
Frankenstein 2039 is set in a dystopian San Francisco in 2039 where Donald Trump is serving his sixth term as president, Amazon has purchased Greenland and gun ownership is mandatory for all US citizens.
It portrays Frankenstein as an ex-facebook employee who is dismissed for abusing user data. He then embarks on an unorthodox technological experiment in a bid to create the perfect humanoid.
“We have always been dedicated to telling stories that put people on the brink of their seats, stories that are human and promote human empathy and stories that represent unheard voices,” says Shafeeq, 26, a strategy consultant by day.
“The creature in Frankenstein always gets a bad rep. It is very dehumanised and seen as a horrible monster who wants to unleash havoc on the world,” he adds.
When you revisit the original text, that’s not the case, says Shields, a self-confessed Mary Shelly fan.
“Frankenstein created the creature to enhance humanity, not to destroy it. So, we wanted to look at what makes people human. Is it the mind, the soul or something else? For me, as a playwright, it’s really interesting to examine the human condition and something that is traditionally seen as subhuman,” she mentions.
Keeping in line with the musical’s futuristic world, the show will have an interactive element through a web app.
“Audiences will take part in a technologically interactive experience. Through a bespoke interface, they will have the opportunity to make decisions that impact the story,” says Shafeeq, who developed the app from scratch.
Frankenstein 2039 runs for 90 minutes with an intermission.
Frankenstein 2039 plays at GMBB, Jalan Robertson in KL on Nov 14-17 and Nov 21-24. Showtime: 8pm. Tickets: RM70. More details: www. liverandlung.com. Facebook: Frankenstein 2039.