«Why am I hungry? Am I poor? Who is my family? Who am I? What is love?» – These simple questions hit hard. I watched a stage performance of «Frankenstein», originally written as a novel by P.B. Shelley, on 5 November in Theater im Seefeld in Zurich. The play, performed by the English speaking theatre group ZEST, was not just about a monster but it was about someone trying to understand the world from scratch.

The best part was watching the Creature learn to speak and think right in front of us. He starts knowing nothing, and slowly figures out language, feelings, everything. The actors made his journey of learning feel completely real and honestly quite moving.

The play did not try to make things complicated. Even the stage was stripped back and straightforward, which made it even more powerful. You could feel every emotion, every moment of confusion and pain. The play ended with a cruel moment of shock: the monster raping Elizabeth behind the stage. In the novel there is no such scene yet it can very well be imagined by the reader.

What really got to me was seeing this being just wanting to belong, wanting someone to care about him, while everyone turns away. The production was simple but incredibly effective: no fancy sets needed when the performances are this good.

ZEST has made something truly special. This Frankenstein makes you think about kindness, loneliness, and what it really means to be human. Chantal Imhof, one of our English teachers at KUE, was part of the cast.

These words stayed with me: «No man is a monster. I am lonely. Every creature has a mate. All I ask is the possibility of love.»

Isa Grevener, English teacher at KUE