Cumberbatch and Miller: Together

The two young leading lights of the English theatre, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, will be vying for our attention this afternoon in Rosendale. In the RSC production of Frankenstein, directed by (Slumdog Millionaire) Danny Boyle, the two actors switch roles in the production and offer us a demonstration of the craft of acting, while scaring us silly at the same Halloween time.

In the 2 P.M. showing, the company features Miller as the Monster. I'm a fan of his from the CBS Sherlock Holmes series Elementary, and look forward to seeing the way he tackles the role that made Boris Karloff a household name. As Holmes, he is lithe, quick-minded, and a bit cold--but very different from the lumbering, lost Karloff. I can't wait to see what he does with the challenge of creating a very different creature.

Cumberbatch has also had a turn at Sherlock Holmes, playing in the slick BBC production of the updated mysteries as seen recently on PBS here. His Sherlock was aloof, superior, and, of course, mentally agile as his whole life seemed to be in his mind. He will play Dr. Frankenstein in the 2 P.M. show.

Then, for the 7:15 screening, the boys will each take the other's role and see what he can do with it. An entrancing fancy for anyone who loves the technical aspects of the theatre, and for anybody else, I would think either show would be engrossing--and both would be a knockout.

I'm going to both.