Creator and creature

The original play had two lead actors, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, switching between the roles of Frankenstein and the creature, and the Chinese version adopts a similar arrangement, with four actors-Yuan Hong, Zheng Yunlong, Yan Nan and Wang Maolei-playing the two roles.

Zheng says he first saw the NT Live screening two years ago and was immediately intrigued by the unusual format of swapping roles, which was new to him.

"I think this setup comes from the dynamics between the two characters, one being the creator, another the created. It helps a lot in performing the roles to put myself in both characters' positions and truly understand them," Zheng says. "What also seemed interesting to me was that during rehearsals, I gradually felt that I was adding certain traits of the creature onto Frankenstein, or vice versa. It is very reasonable that the creator and the created should have something in common, some sort of connection on a spiritual level."

To Zheng, the greatest difficulty is the physical acting when performing as the creature, which lasts about half an hour from when the creature is born to when he learns to speak. It requires strength and stamina, so the actors went through long periods of physical training daily.