Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...If you’ve not seen Manual Cinema before — and it was clear that many people at Court’s Saturday-night opening had not — you’ll likely to blown away by the singularity of the artistic technique. Aside from the ability to watch the movie while you watch the creation of the movie, you also get an original score, played live by an ensemble of four musicians. Manual Cinema does world-class work from its Chicago base; the word is only now getting out."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...As a two-hour display of technical prowess, it's jaw-dropping. But as an evening of storytelling, it's a cold affair that struggles to find an emotional connection to Shelley's harrowing saga. The skilled troupe's exhausting efforts to hew to an exacting style—alternately childlike, campy, and folklorish—keep everything at multiple levels of remove."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Recommended
"...This version is an out of the box approach to a classic story; which may catch the usual theatergoers by surprise; however, we feel that it will entertain and delight all Frankensteinian enthusiasts."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... The Court Theatre continues its 64th season with its 2nd important production; the world premiere of “Frankenstein” by Manual Cinema, adapted from the novel by Mary Shelley. Manual Cinema is a collaboration between sound designers and composers Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter and puppetry artists Julia Miller, Drew Dir, and Sarah Formance. They use the language of cinema to tell theatrical stories onstage and this classic horror novel takes on a new face in the hands of Manual Cinema, providing the viewer with an audio-visual experience that is unique and magical."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...As you take your seat at Court Theatre – where the Chicago-based, internationally recognized Manual Cinema “performance collective” is now performing its astonishing, wildly imaginative version of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” – you immediately sense that something completely out of the ordinary is about to unfold."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, through the unbelievable sights and sounds created by the fertile imagination of Manual Cinema, is an absolutely glorious theatrical experience. The company injects so many new, added elements not typically found in a stage performance. They bring to Chicago theatergoers an electrifying performance they won’t soon forget."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...Manual Cinema is presenting a weirdly enchanting version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein at Court Theatre. Nine puppeteers and musicians display the original story of Dr. Frankenstein and the Creature, combined with Mary Shelley’s own biography, on a multitude of screens with a multitude of equipment and instruments."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended
"...The evocative and at times haunting avant-garde musical score composed by Kyle Vegter and Ben Kauffman is brilliantly performed by onstage musicians Zachary Good, Deidre Huckabay, Lia Kohl and Peter Ferry."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...The result is that you are able to focus anywhere you wish in one of their shows: watch the large screen if you want, where you’ll see all of the work come together. Or watch where the puppeteer/actors are playing the scene that is being filmed in front of you. Or watch another place onstage where someone is getting ready to show another bit of action. Or you can watch the musicians create the soundtrack live. It doesn’t really matter: the production is thoroughly entertaining no matter what you are looking at."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...Perhaps it is the piercing connection with camera angles reminiscent of the silent film era throughout and from which the very best parts of this production benefits. There is so much happening all at once, it is hard to say, however, one thing is for sure: Manual Cinema’s FRANKENSTEIN is a purposefully-paced, finely-tuned masterpiece that evolves on many sensory levels commanding attention at every turn. With a gloriously expressive ensemble – delivering multiple characterizations, nonstop action, and whimsical imagery – words have been rendered virtually unnecessary."
