*Featured image is of Tom Fox, performer
The Lamphouse Theatre team are back, taking another show to the Edinburgh Fringe after the success of their last. Having created War of the Worlds (On a Budget), they now enthusiastically present Frankenstein (On a Budget) as the upcoming project. With their signature affordable approach of cardboard props and solo performance, the traditional tale is reconstructed unlike how you've ever seen before in just 60 minutes, complete with a brand new soundtrack and comedy aplenty.
Working again as the producer on the piece, Becky Owen-Fisher has revealed more about how it is coming together.
What can audiences expect from the show and why is it unique?
Frankenstein (On a Budget) is going to be a great big hoot! It’s a musical comedy adaptation of Mary Shelley’s original text but also a love letter to Boris Karloff, old-school Hammer horror, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and all the music that defines those genres. It is 'On a Budget', which means everything is made from cardboard and household objects, which is fast becoming our trademark! One actor performs everything and it’s an epic piece with a lot of heart, a LOT of laughs and some absolutely banging songs.
Why did you want to create this piece and bring it to the Edinburgh Fringe?
Over the last couple of years, we have made and toured War of the Worlds (On a Budget), which has been a huge and really joyful success. We loved the team we worked with and the audience reception, so wanted to tackle another 'On a Budget' and Frankenstein was just a really obvious follow-up. It’s a story with serious stakes and lots of drama which is a lot of fun to make comedy with! There's also a ton of great musical references for our amazing composer Rebecca Applin, to draw from. And we’re coming to Edinburgh cos we just love it!
What are you most looking forward to about taking on the festival again?
It’s so wonderful to have the opportunity to perform every single day for 3 and a half weeks! Our shows really rely on audiences - it’s all about the performer’s relationship with the audience, and at Edinburgh you get really fantastic audience members! They’re all there to be entertained and challenged and generally aren’t shy to get stuck in, so it’s a great experience for us!
Which elements do you particularly enjoy about transforming classic stories into comedic retellings?
It’s the little Easter eggs for me - the lyrics that call back to something from the text or the “if you know you know” moments that we can drop in. I also really enjoy watching people who come because they love the original, when they see what we’ve done with it!
How do you find the process of putting the production together, and working with brand new music?
It’s a really fun process. We’re a devising company so for these rehearsals we’re heading in with just a story outline and a few songs that have been written. All the scenes get created in the room as Tom Fox, our performer, improvises and devises around prompts and plot points. Our director, Mercè Ribot, is fantastic at guiding the process to find the funniest moments and the truth, which is often hilarious in itself. Working with brand new music is such a treat; our musical team composer Rebecca Applin and Musical Director Sam Sommerfeld are dream - they totally get the game and love it when we say “ok so we need a song that’s sung by Electricity, here are some really weird lyrics…go!”
How does this show have something for everyone?
It’s funny, it’s campy, it has heart and soul, music, “dance”, ridiculous costumes, cardboard props, a big dream and no budget; how does it not have something for everybody?!
How has the reception from War of the Worlds (On a Budget!) impacted your journey to producing this next piece?
It’s impacted it hugely! War of the Worlds (On a Budget) was a leap of faith. We knew that we thought it was funny - hilarious even - we loved the cardboard aesthetic and, the manic ‘one man running about trying to tell the most epic story’, but we didn’t know for sure if everyone else would! Thankfully they did - we went on a UK tour at the end of last year and it was so well received, we thought we’d better make another one!
Which 3 words best describe why we should come to see this?
Musical comedy carnage
That's a fantastic summary! Big thanks to Becky for your contributions - it's been great to hear from you again and support this next endeavour. All the best for the run, and hope to see more glowing reviews coming your way.
Frankenstein (On a Budget) is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe: 31st July; 1st-13th, 15th-26th August
Grab your tickets here:
