More Frankenstein more lovely Benedict

The other week I went to see a film of National Theatre's play Frankenstein, which was recorded with two actors alternating the role of Frankenstein and his Creature. Well today I went to see it the other way round, with lovely lovely Benedict Cumberbatch as the Creature and Jonny Lee Miller as Frankenstein. I even took the afternoon off work to do so, such was my enthusiasm for seeing it again.

Both ways were excellent, outstanding maybe.

The first way round was my favourite, but I think that is always going to be the way really.

It was very interesting to see how two different actors can say the same words in the same circumstances alongside the same cast, and that it all comes out completely differently.

JLM's Creature had a lovely innocence about him, like a big baby learning about the world. BC's Creature was part person recovering from a stroke, part gleeful mischievous child. I'd say both were equally philosophical, cerebral and occasionally likeable.

JLM's Frankenstein was also more innocent, a slightly surprised boffin whose genius got him caught up in a sticky spot and got rather dragged along with it. He looked and sounded a lot like Colin Firth. In fact, imagine King George VI was Frankenstein. It was like that.

BC's Frankenstein was much more sinister, much more weird. He was just... cold. Which I loved.

At the end, people clapped - which they didn't last time I saw it. Hard to know what to do when you are watching a play and people are taking bows but they are not actually there.

Later we went out in Leith with E&R and N&K, for tapas and then whisky.