Just in time for Halloween, Cleveland Play House presents a reimagined adaptation of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”—a haunting and highly theatrical adaptation of the classic horror story.

The production is a sensual, poetic adaptation by David Catlin , actor, writer, director, and founding member of Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 12 in Playhouse Square's Outcalt Theatre.

While a vicious storm rages outside an old villa in Switzerland, a teenage Mary Shelley accepts the challenge to tell a terrifying tale. Casting her friends as characters, she soon gives life to one of literature’s greatest creations.

As the story travels from the North Pole to Victor Frankenstein’s infamous lab, the line between fact and fiction begins to blur. This adventurous adaptation illuminates the real-life monsters that haunted Mary’s greatest work, bringing what’s buried back to life.

“A landmark novel written by a teenager afraid to place her name on it sparked over two centuries of scholarship and interpretations,” said interim artistic director Mark Cuddy in a statement.  “The nameless creature cobbled together and brought to life by the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s novel has assumed the moniker of his tortured scientist creator in the mind of the general public.”

Directed by Michael Barakiva, the production features Josh Bates, Madeline Calais, Ellen Grace Diehl, Gavin Michaels, and Kayodè Soyemi.

Catlin’s adaptation premiered in Chicago in 2019 and has played regionally. “Mary Shelley holds up our desire to play God, to usurp the natural order. When we were younger, we turned clouds into camels and castles and steamships.” Catlin said in a statement. “We played with stuffed animals, dolls, with G.I. Joes, bringing them to vivid life — determining whom they loved, how they died, and if they were reborn. We created whole universes with Legos and Transformers. Our imaginations pushed beyond the boundaries of possibility. We made the impossible—like wee young gods.”

Performances of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” are held Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. An additional evening performance will be held on Sunday, October 22 at 6:3 p.m. Matinee performances are held on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $30 and student tickets are $15 valid student ID. Ohio Direction/EBT cardholders receive $5 admission to any performance, up to eight tickets, and military personnel and their immediate families receive 50% off tickets. Seniors may receive $10 off tickets. Groups of 20 or more can save up to 30% on their purchase. Tickets can be purchased online, or by calling (216) 241.6000.