Mary Shelley’s seminal 1818 gothic horror novel Frankenstein has sent a shiver down the spines of generations since she wrote it aged just 18.

Rona Munro’s new adaptation, which is at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury this week, puts the writer in amongst the action of Frankenstein’s monster brought to life in a gruesome body.

She says: “This story has been told and retold in hundreds of different versions since it was first written. But it remains the dark and rebellious roar of its adolescent author. Mary Shelley was only 18 when she wrote the novel and she’d already broken every social rule that should have shaped her life. That’s the version of Frankenstein I’ve returned to.”

She adds: “I hope the audience realise that Mary Shelley wrote it and that they’ll know a bit more about the person she was.

“I hope they’ll be satisfyingly terrified.

“Our monster is not going to be sewn together from bits of people, he’s not going to have a bolt in his neck... He’ll look utterly terrifying but he won’t look like you expect. It’s that thing of not being in control of your own fate. I think not being able to escape the consequences of your own actions is also a biggie. It’s about relentless pursuit .”

Frankenstein is at the Marlowe Theatre from Tuesday, September 24 to Saturday, September 28. Book online at marlowetheatre.com or call 01227 787787.

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