Manual Cinema’s “Frankenstein”

A unique performance merging live music and shadow puppetry to explore Mary Shelley's classic novel and her life.

Mary Shelley’s monster comes to life once again as Emmy Award–winning shadow-puppet extraordinaires Manual Cinema returns to Wisconsin Union Theater for an encore performance of its wildly popular 2024 show Frankenstein. This “ingenious merger of live music and captivating visuals” (Chicago Sun-Times) explores the beauty and horror of creation by recreating the fictional world of Shelley’s novel and connecting it with elements of the author’s real life. “You’ll likely be blown away by the singularity of the artistic technique,” says the Chicago Tribune. But only if you come see it for yourself.