Lamphouse Theatre bring their new show, Frankenstein (On A Budget) to Edinburgh Fringe.
“One man, one monster, one glorious dream to singlehandedly tell the most famous horror story of all time, and absolutely no budget whatsoever.
Featuring one actor, an epic soundtrack, some decidedly dodgy backdrops, lots of weather-based puns, plenty of cardboard props and more hats than you can throw a stick at.”
Producer Becky Owen-Fisher tells us all about it.
Where: Pleasance Dome
What: 31 Jul, 1-13, 15-26 Aug
Ticket link: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/frankenstein-on-a-budget
What are you looking forward to most at Fringe?
Being back in the beautiful city of Edinburgh is always such a treat, especially at Fringe-time.
We love soaking up the atmos of Fringe, meeting fabulous theatremakers we’ve never met before and finding funky new venues to visit.
Tom, our performer, is most looking forward to supporting all of our friends who are taking shows up, and Becky, our producer, is most excited about being at Pleasance for the first time and finding out if rumours of a secret, performers only bar, are true!
Tell me about Frankenstein (On a Budget) – one actor, epic soundtrack, dodgy backdrops, what’s it all about?
Frankenstein (On a Budget) is THE comedy musical hammer horror homage you didn’t know you needed.
It’s a one person show, full of ridiculous props and set made entirely of cardboard and foam, featuring an incredible soundtrack inspired by Rocky Horror, 1930s Hammer horror and cult TV like Wednesday.
In the show our performer, Tom, attempts to tell the whole story of Frankenstein, playing about 26 characters, including a Mountain, while singing, dancing, slicing and dicing, and puppeteering.
It’s a riot. Funny, bonkers, but full of heart, it will have you singing along, bopping away, and maybe even feeling something!
You are including audience participation, is this an important aspect of how you develop shows?
Yes it really is! When you’re on your own up on stage in a show like this, developing a relationship with the audience is super important.
They wind up playing a part in the show, being someone to bounce off and occasionally joining Tom on stage to help out!
Tom is amazing at including an audience and making them feel comfortable and welcome; it’s not a scary audience participation kind of show, just a bit of gentle fun!
How did Lamphouse Theatre start?
We’ve been going for just over 11 years now and we started as an improv setup.
Tom studied a lot of improv at college and some of our first shows were improvised musicals in tiny theatres and pubs.
Then when Becky came on board about 8 years ago, we started exploring devising in a room with a dramaturg and, Hey Presto! here we are now, with a fantastic team around us making daft musical comedies with improv and devising at their heart.
What’s next for you?
This Autumn, we’re off on a 32-date UK tour of Frankenstein (On a Budget).
There’s plans to take the show on the road again in Spring 2025 (hello to any programmers out there!) and then we have some top secret, exciting touring projects in the pipeline for Summer and Autumn 2025
Brilliant show today at the fringe event. Really enjoyed it and top class in every way.