“Frankenstein” Comes to Lachat

Weston Today illustration

Once again, Lachat Town Farm will be haunted for the Halloween season, as beginning on October 17 the theater group stages one of its trademark immersive theatrical productions.

This one is designed to be genuinely scary.

“Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus” is an original adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic tale of ambitious scientist Victor Frankenstein, who fabricates a grotesque creature from corpses, then becomes horrified and abandons it.

Craving nothing more from humans than acceptance and kindness, the creature is met only with rejection and cruelty. Desperately lonely, he turns violent and vengeful. “If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear,” he says in the novel.

“Movies haven’t really captured the emotional depth of Mary Shelley’s novel,” said Marc Fontaine, who co-wrote the show with director Amy MacRae, Robin Reiser, and CJ Morsey (who plays Dr. Frankenstein). André Sguerra plays The Creature.

“We want you to jump in fear”

Ms. MacRae said the story stays close to the original, with some characters and relationships more developed. All of Lachat is the stage. “The landscape is a character,” said Ms. MacRae.

The performance starts on the farm’s upper meadow and weaves through 12 outdoor and indoor scenes with live actors, chills, and horror. The production is designed to immerse the audience in the story’s dark atmosphere.

“We want you to feel the emotion and creepiness,” said Mr. Fontaine. “We don’t want you to jump just because you’re startled. We want you to jump in fear.”

The producers strongly recommend the show only for those age 12 and older. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

“Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus” runs on October 17, 18, and 19. Then again on October 24, 25, and 26. Performances each evening are at 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, 7:45, and 8:15. Tickets, $25 per person, are available here, while they last.

CJ Morsey, André Sguerra