DARK MATTERS · Frankenstein — Unchained

DARK MATTERS is a modern-gothic season at Circle & Star — five works across one October fortnight, 14–31 October 2026, drawn from the literature and music that live in the shadow of the imagination. Narrated, sung and spoken, each night turns the fifty-five-seat room to the dark — not for shock, but for clarity. This is one of the five.

A new interpretation of Mary Shelley's 1818 masterpiece — a visual, immersive experience of live sound and music.

With the narration and commanding presence of Gothic screen legend Madeline Smith (The Vampire Lovers, Taste the Blood of Dracula, and Bond's Live and Let Die), and a live original score shaped in real time by Jason Frederick. Projected extracts from early cinema flicker across the space; new smoke effects breathe through the dark.

Inside a fifty-five-seat room there is no distance between you and the story — a true night of the Gothic.

★ Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, narrated live and scored in real time
★ Gothic screen legend Madeline Smith
★ Original live score by Jason Frederick · projection · smoke
★ Two nights only, 22–23 October — fifty-five seats, no distance

Artwork by Scott Neilson. A limited-edition poster is available, with a portion of proceeds to Cancer Research.

🗓 Thursday 22 – Friday 23 October 2026 · Doors 7:30pm · Show 8:00pm
📍 28 Heath Street, Hampstead, London NW3 6TE
🎟 55 seats only — two nights

STEP IN. COME UP. BE PART OF THE STORY.