Dark, defiant, and deliciously unhinged, Mary: The Birth of Frankenstein is the gothic feminist fever dream you didn’t know you needed. Set in 1816 — the infamous storm-lashed summer that spawned Mary Shelley’s masterpiece — this bold new production by Auckland Theatre Company lifts the lid on the young writer’s psyche, reimagining the night she gave life to one of literature’s most enduring monsters.
Award-winning playwright Jess Sayer (with co-creator/director Oliver Driver of Amadeus fame) takes us deep into the shadows of a Swiss villa, where Mary (played by Olivia Tennet) stands over a bloodied corpse, her words turned dangerous. What begins as a classic period drama quickly unravels into a drug-fuelled, lust-drenched spiral of horror, as Mary sheds the men who try to control her and reclaims the terrifying, brilliant force of her own imagination.
It’s clever. It’s unrelenting. And it’s a rare look at the internal world of one of history’s most misunderstood literary geniuses. More than just a retelling, Mary is a celebration of the darker sides of womanhood, of creativity unbound — and a reminder that the original mad scientist was just a teenage girl with a pen.
This is not your average night at the theatre — and that’s exactly why you should go. Mary: The Birth of Frankenstein runs at the ASB Waterfront Theatre from Thursday 21st August to Sunday 7th September — book your tickets here (or enter to win some below).
