Monstrosity in a Ballet Adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein*

Abstract

The article focuses on the analysis of the 2016 ballet adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein created by Liam Scarlett for the Royal Opera House and the San Francisco Ballet. The purpose of the article is to show that this production presents the novel’s motif of monstrosity as queer desire and the prevailing societal conventions. The paper is divided into theoretical and analysis sections. The first one provides a brief overview of approaching the novel and its chosen cinematic adaptations through queer studies. The second section focuses on the narrative developed over the course of the 2016 ballet adaptation. It also discusses the formal devices, such as: choreography, costumes, characterisation, stage design, and theatrical properties, which together reinforce the narrative and allow the proposed interpretation of monstrosity.