Frankenstein at Sacramento Theatre Company

Ah, Frank. You’re so misunderstood. Most people think you’re the monster in Mary Shelley’s tale of terror. That’s debatable, because as the scientist Dr. Frankenstein, creator of the sewn-together creature, your moral part in the horror story remains full of looming questions. And most people think your creation is big and bolty, scary and green. But in the original story, Shelley’s haunting 1818 tale of a scientific experiment gone awry, the creature is much more human than usually portrayed; his heart and mind mark a gentler soul. STC admirably takes the classic, Gothic, wrestling-consciences approach to Frankenstein. The production is handsome, with beautiful sets and costumes, creepy music and lighting. The cast manages to breathe life into the fascinating—though sometimes overwrought—dialogue and storyline. But at times, this production feels like it needs a bolt of lightning, a shot of adrenaline, to make it truly a classic. Still, it’s a memorable journey that leaves us wrestling with moral questions of right and wrong, man and monster, creature and creator.

Frankenstein, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 12:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday; $15-$38. Sacramento Theatre Company on the Pollock Stage, 1419 H Street; (916) 443-6722; www.sactheatre.org. Through October 30.