Frankenstein: Unbolted @ Just the Tonic at the Caves

Last Chance Saloon bring fun to the Fringe with their wacky tale of Frankenstein: Unbolted. While of course loosely based on Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein the cast of three tell a humorous tale of rivalry, a damaged liver that leads to a monster who can’t handle his drink and a puppet version of Igor. 

The cast are natural in their performances, making it appear almost improvised in the mistakes and blunders that occur, though they are most likely all tightly scripted. The story is actually compelling: the rivalry between Frankenstein and his childhood friend, who always bettered him in his accomplishments and whom his parents favoured over him, leads Frankenstein to push science to the limits and create his monster.

There is a lot of silly comedy and a lot of engaging with the audience, which keeps a warm, fun atmosphere. The cast are energetic and don’t take themselves too seriously while performing an engaging show that does not let up for a second, ensuring no opportunity for boredom from the audience. Props are used for comic effect, although the show would still work without them as it is the performances that shine. The physicality of the cast is excellent, especially from the monster himself, who does a very good job of transforming from intellectual to drunken mess with comedy and theatricality.

This lighthearted spoof of a classic tale is filled with humour and wit that's pleasingly retro in its revival of old-school comedy techniques. Most impressively, this hearty show manages to be suitable even for those who do not usually enjoy farcical comedy, which is an impressive feat.