200多年来玛丽•雪莱的《科学怪人》多次被搬上银幕，除了科幻色彩和恐怖的情节，小说更多的是展现一种人性的挣扎。新版话剧《科学怪人》在秉承了原著的精神上，改变了传统的叙事角度，述说了一个不一样的科学怪人。当然，该剧最大的亮点之一还有两名主角的互换演出。

　　With drool dripping down his chin and a body riddled withsutures, Frankenstein’s Creature is born before the audience. Science has brought this once-deadcorpse back to life, and now he struggles, both childlike and terrible, to stand on his own two feet.

　　他嘴角留着口水，全身都是缝合的针脚印，弗兰肯斯坦创造的怪物就这样鲜活地出现在观众面前。科学给了这个已死的躯壳新的生命，为了自由他奋力挣扎，幼稚而惨烈。

　　Frankenstein, reimagined as a play by the UK’s Royal National Theatre, bucks tradition by focusingon the monster, rather than the man who created him.

　　英国国家剧院改编的新版《科学怪人》一改传统，将故事的主线锁定在怪物而不是创造怪物的弗兰肯斯坦身上。

　　This 2011 production, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, was shown at the China Film Archives thisweek, as part of the 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange.

　　作为2015年中英文化交流年的活动之一，这部2011年出品，由本尼迪克特•康伯巴奇主演的戏剧8月22、23日在中国电影资料馆放映。

　　As directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire), the play lashes out againstprevious adaptations of Frankenstein that depict the Creature as a lumbering oaf. No, thisCreature is truly a thinking man’s mirror.

　　本剧的导演是曾经执导过《猜火车》、《贫民窟的百万富翁》的丹尼•博伊尔(Danny Boyle)。以往的改编版通常将怪物描绘成迟钝的傻子，而这一版的《科学怪人》突破性地将怪物设定成一面思考者的镜子。

　　While Boyle’s version hews more closely to Mary Shelley’s original horror novel, it differs in onesignificant aspect. It is the monster – not his creator, Dr Frankenstein – who recounts thissorrowful tale.

　　博伊尔在忠实于玛丽•雪莱(Mary Shelley)原著的基础上，对一个重要的地方做了改动——用怪物的视角取代他的创造者弗兰肯斯坦博士的来讲述这个悲惨的故事。

　　In many ways, this is an unconventional underdog story. Frankenstein’s Creature is born with aninnocent mind but a body so hideous that it brings out the worst in humanity. Can he resist thecorrupting influences around him?

　　从很多方面看，这都是一个非传统的受压迫者反抗的故事。弗兰肯斯坦的怪物生性纯良，但却长着一张面目可憎的脸。这激发了他最丑恶的人性。他能抵挡住周遭环境对自己的腐蚀吗?

　　It’s a battle of nature versus nurture, with a scientific twist. The play delves into questions ofwhether man can “play god”, by creating life through science.

　　这是“先天论” 和 “后天论”在科学语境中的博弈。剧中探讨了一个问题：人类是否能利用科学创造生命来扮演操纵一切的上帝角色。

　　In a touch of inspired casting, Frankenstein brings Cumberbatch together with his own mirror,actor Jonny Lee Miller. Both have previously portrayed the literary genius Sherlock Holmes, inSherlock and Elementary respectively.

　　《科学怪人》的演员阵容极富创造力，也把卷福和他的“镜子”——约翰尼•李•米勒联系在了一起。两人此前分别在《神探夏洛克》和《福尔摩斯：基本演绎法》中扮演过天才夏洛克•福尔摩斯。

　　For the version shown in cinemas, Miller played the Creature while Cumberbatch embodied DrFrankenstein – though they were known for switching roles throughout the play’s London run.

　　在影院版中，米勒扮演怪物，卷福扮演弗兰肯斯坦博士，而在之前伦敦演出时两人互换角色也是该剧的一大特色。

　　Unfortunately, the Creature ends up being the most developed character in the entire play. Part ofthe problem is the simplistic nature of the script.

　　不幸的是，怪物成了全剧最丰满、立体的角色。另外美中不足就是剧本略单薄。

　　The play rips its motifs straight from the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who believedcivilization was a corrosive influence. Nature is idolized, while characters like Dr Frankenstein whorepresent science and urbanity are depicted as uniformly cruel.

　　该剧借鉴了哲学家让•雅克•卢梭(Jean-Jacques Rousseau)的思想，他认为文明会腐蚀人性。自然被崇拜，而像弗兰肯斯坦这样代表科学和文雅的人被描绘得极端冷酷。

　　The script does approach many compelling themes – questions of class, slavery, prejudice andscientific ethics are all included – but the play never delves deeply into any of them.

　　剧本触及了许多引人深思的主题——等级问题、奴役、偏见和科学伦理。不过戏剧本身并没有就任何一点进行深入探讨。

　　With elements of steampunk, minimalism and interpretative dance, Boyle’s Frankenstein isambitiously staged. If only its script had been more ambitious in its social commentary, this playmight have brought Frankenstein’s monster alive for a new century.

　　博伊尔在《科学怪人》中运用了蒸汽朋克、极简艺术和诠释舞蹈等元素，显示了他勃勃的舞台雄心。不过如果剧本也有这样的雄心，那么这部剧或许能让弗兰肯斯坦的怪物更深入人心。

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（编辑：何莹莹）