Stage Review - Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster (Phoenix Theatre)

Stage Review - Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster
Presented By: Phoenix Theatre - Edmonds, WA
Show Run: October 03 - October 26, 2025
Date Reviewed: Sunday, October 26, 2025 (Closing)
Run Time: 2 Hours (inclusive of a 15-minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

I’ve written before about the cyclical and somewhat predictable nature of theatre programming that organizations use to fill out their calendars. It’s right around late November and into December that theaters usually program the more lighthearted holiday-related plays before they go darker when the calendar turns over. It’s rare that we see a straight-up silly Halloween play, and it’s probably because the October ones tend to lean toward the spooky, mysterious, or suspenseful. But The Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds, known in the region for their strong ensemble pieces that combine laughter with an underlying, albeit not even close to preachy, message, has opted to shy away from the macabre and lean into the silly with their production of Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster, a play that touches on the gender respect gap, the dangers of gossip, and the corrupt nature of local politics.

Directed by Renée Gilbert, the show closed this past Sunday, October 26, wrapping up its fall run with the kind of energy and eccentric creativity audiences have come to expect from this Edmonds-based company. A witty twist on Mary Shelley’s iconic tale, the play reimagines the familiar myth through a feminist and satirical lens—swapping lightning bolts for laughter and graveyards for community gossip. Renée’s direction leans into the absurdity without losing sight of the humanity pulsing beneath the humor, crafting a production that walks the fine line between parody and homage.

From a text standpoint, Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster isn’t the best-written play—the dialogue and plot at times feel extremely cheesy and not especially well structured—but that’s put aside in the interest of just going with the fun of it all. In fact, it seems that the cast understands they’re not going to change the world with this script, and they lean fully into the silliness of it. That self-awareness becomes part of the production’s charm, and it’s the commitment from the ensemble that keeps it from falling apart under its own campy weight.

What makes Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster enjoyable despite the overall quality of its construction is how it layers social commentary within its comedic beats, a combination that is in this theatre’s wheelhouse. The script plays with the question of who truly creates the “monster” in any relationship—whether it’s science, ambition, or society itself. Renée’s staging finds those moments of irony, letting the humor emerge naturally from the actors and the characters they play rather than strict corniness, even when the material dips into farce. The pacing moves briskly, driven by an ensemble that is clearly comfortable with what they’re trying to accomplish.

Renée’s ensemble cast—led by Codie Wyatt as Ms. Frankenstein and Erin Hobbs as Joan/Miss Monster—anchors the play with an appealing mix of gravitas and whimsy. Codie’s Ms. Frankenstein, with a voice and delivery that bring to mind the great Katey Sagal, provides a grounded center amid the chaos. And in typical Phoenix fashion, it’s the ensemble that ultimately makes it work. Ian L. Wight’s dual roles as the Mayor and Inspector add a bureaucratic flair to the chaos, while James Lynch’s Monster/Mr. Schmidt provides both physical comedy and surprising emotional resonance. James, a Phoenix regular, is hilarious as the Monster—his grunts are well timed and perfectly inflected to deliver just the right message for the right laugh without saying a single word. Rita Baxter as Agatha Twisty, a fun wordplay on the famous mystery writer, is witty and sharp, her delivery a quick, rapid-fire style reminiscent of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood, making her character extremely entertaining to watch, and Melanie Calderwood is as funny as ever, and for my money again, nobody does deadpan better than her. The supporting cast—including Keith Remon, Kim Anthony, Rachael Risbell Walters, and Susan Connors—rounds out the ensemble with the kind of timing and character interplay that Phoenix has become known for.

Visually, the show benefits from a smart, uncluttered design. The set, constructed by Kris Helland and supported by Susan Conners in the role of Set Decorator, is decent, of the typical quality I’ve come to expect from The Phoenix Theatre. There’s an informality to it all that plays to the humor of the show as well. The mystery bookcase doorway to the basement is done well—simple but effective—and the portrait panel over the mantle that the Baron uses to spy on his sister looks almost slapped together, yet it all fits perfectly within that cheerful absurdity. Even in its rough edges, the design feels deliberate, like part of the joke itself.

The humor throughout Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster lands with a satisfying blend of intelligence and absurdity. There are sly digs at gender politics, small-town bureaucracy, and the eternal quest to control what we can’t possibly understand. Yet the play never feels didactic—it’s too busy making us laugh at our own human contradictions. That balance between thoughtfulness and fun is a hallmark of The Phoenix Theatre’s best work, and Renée captures it here with precision.

The thought that lingers after the show, having experienced a play that is extremely silly, though not altogether well constructed by its author—that the “monster” might not be in the lab at all, but in the choices we make and the systems we build. It’s both a clever and oddly touching reflection on power, identity, and the ways we define creation itself. With Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster, The Phoenix once again proves that comedy, no matter how silly, can be just as illuminating as tragedy.

Ms. Frankenstein’s Monster has closed at Phoenix Theatre, but for more information about the theatre and its upcoming shows, including the upcoming holiday show, Mrs. Dilber’s Christmas Carol, visit https://www.tptedmonds.org/.

Photo credit: Jim Sipes