Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Wraps In Cedar City This Week

If you have been thinking that you really ought to get around to seeing “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, this would be a good time to stop thinking about it and actually do something.

Because there aren’t many chances left.

The Festival’s production of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” is nearing the end of its run, with just three performances remaining in Cedar City. There’s a performance today, Wednesday, September 30, a Friday afternoon performance on October 2, and then the whole thing comes to life for the final time Saturday night.

And then, just like the good doctor’s creation, it’s gone.

The Production Is Based On The Story Of Mary Shelly

The production, written by David Catlin and directed by Risa Brainin, is based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel but takes a somewhat different approach. The story of Victor Frankenstein and his creation is told through the lens of Mary Shelley’s own tragic story, while exploring ambition, scientific progress and the complicated relationship between creator and creation.

So, yes, there is a monster.

There is also a lot more going on than a guy in a laboratory shouting “It’s alive!” while lightning flashes in the background. Although, to be honest, that would still probably get my attention.

The production is being presented in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre and runs about two hours and five minutes, including one intermission. The Festival describes it as a Gothic horror story, with depictions of violence, death and medical experimentation.

Which seems particularly appropriate as we head into October. Halloween is just around the corner, the evenings are getting darker, and apparently Cedar City has decided that what we really need right now is a little literary horror involving reanimation and questionable scientific judgment.

“Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” opened in July and has been part of the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2026 season. But with the closing performance scheduled for Saturday night, the window is getting pretty small.

So if Frankenstein has been sitting on your Cedar City theater list, waiting for you to get around to it, this is your warning.