The 2011-2012 season begins this weekend at Burien Little Theatre with the opening show of their 31st year, “Frankenstein.” Although the show’s run will eventually coincide with Halloween, don’t expect your predictable, scary monster story.

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Yes, it is a monster tale. Dr. Frankenstein brings his creation to life, a Creature that is hideous and deformed, rejected in horror by all he meets.

And it is scary, but not for the reasons you might think. The monster will probably scare you. But by the end of the story, you might ask yourself just which character(s) in the play is really the monster.
BLT’s “Frankenstein” is a world premiere adaptation written by Seattle playwright Roxanne Linnea Ray. It is much truer to Mary Shelley’s original novel, “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.” There is no square-headed monster with bolts sticking out from its neck. There is no mad scientist laughing madly while throwing switches in his lightening-filled basement laboratory.

Instead, you will witness a very human story of Victor Frankenstein (Adrian Cerrato) and his inhuman obsession to find a way to bring dead tissue back to life.

You will meet the family he cherished, his good and noble parents (David Ellinger and Kendra Pierce) and the woman who would be his wife, Elizabeth Lavenza (Anna Richardson). And you will meet the Creature (Russ Kay), the unfortunate and bewildered monster who is rejected and abandoned by his creator.
Nathan Rodda’s scenic design and David Baldwin’s lighting are dark and foreboding. A plaintive and haunting musical score by Allan Loucks sets the mood perfectly. The costumes by DodiRose Zooropa are beautiful and true to the historical era. The Creature’s make-up by Jenn Hill is appropriately gruesome. All these elements you might expect from “Frankenstein.”

But what you may not expect is the language of the script. Most of the narration and dialogue were taken straight from Shelley’s own words. You will hear poetic and literate thoughts from the mouths of Victor Frankenstein and his family. Everyone from the servant girl Justine (Corey Lynn Atencio) to the old blind man De Lacey (Fernando Luna) share their stories in eloquent monologue.

What will move you the most, however, is the heart-breaking glimpse inside the mind of the Creature. This is no grunting, howling monster. Mary Shelley’s Creature is an articulate, thinking being. He longs for companionship and acceptance. Instead, his ghoulish appearance frightens others, instead of inviting sympathy or love.

Director Steve Cooper’s vision of flowing, almost dream-like storytelling serves this production well. We are taken up into another world. Frankenstein and his Creature have transported us into their nightmare.

But, who is really the monster in this tale? The grotesque Creation whose unanswered longing for friendship leads him to murder? Or the Creator, who is repulsed by his work, and heartlessly abandons his Creation and wishes him dead? You decide.

“Frankenstein” runs through Oct. 30. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased either online at www.burienlittletheatre.org or by calling the ticket office for reservations at 206-242-5180. BLT is located at 4th SW and SW 146th St.
The show is suitable for ages 13 and older due to horror content.