Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein at The Glitch

A powerful and important one-woman play that too few people will see.

It’s the 80s. Thatcher’s Britain. Frank navigates masculine bravado and West Ham away days while Ruby navigates sexual encounters and Heaven nightclub. There is huge conflict between the two of them. Ruby watches Frank and his life of football hooliganism, while for a long time, Frank refuses to believe Ruby even exists. Will this conflict be resolved, or will they forever be at odds with each other?

Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein is a trans reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It’s the internal and external struggles of a person who is ultimately deemed a monster by society and rejected by the angry mob around them.

This bare bones play sees writer and performer Kristen Smyth own the stage with poetic storytelling, walking through the lives of Frank and Ruby. It’s dark and gritty, with sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. There’s leather and there’s violence. And it all feels rather at home in the basement of a bar in Lambeth.

Cruel Britannia couldn’t be more timely. It’s an exploration of the trans experience in the 80s, but comes at a present day where parts of society appear to be regressing, turning against trans people, fearing them, even actively attacking them.

With a fierce and authentic intensity, Smyth is excellent in the role. Between her writing and her acting, she’s able to flood the room with tension and emotion, putting absolutely everything on stage.

As a piece of entertainment, Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein is good. Maybe even too good for such a small venue at The Glitch. But where the show really shines is as an important commentary on what’s happening in the world right now and the cost it can have on normal, everyday people. It’s just unfortunate that the ones who need to see it won’t be the ones who do.

Jim Compton-Hall
Photos: Courtesy of The Glitch

Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein is at The Glitch from 19^th until 30^th June 2025. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.