The year is 1816. The place, Villa Diodati in Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The players are Mary Shelley née Godwin, her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, her sister Claire Clairmont, Lord George Gordon Byron, and Byron’s physician John Polidori. The name of the game is: who can write the best ghost story over the course of one evening. The rest is history.
Rorschach Theatre bravely ventures into the unknown with the world premiere of So Late Into the Night, a contemporary rock musical by Shawn Northrip that reimagines the events of this evening on Lake Geneva that birthed Shelley’s world-famous novel Frankenstein. Northrip’s take on this legendary dinner party does not stop at ghost stories, however. The playwright conjures a full-blown seance where Lord Byron ill-advisedly summons a demonic ghoul to foretell how each person sitting at the table will die — and in what order. Lest our theatrical imagination dare to stop here, Northrip’s play also features a present-day rock band from Dayton, Ohio — referred to as “The Shelleys” — who are invited by the Ghoul to accompany these literary greats for an evening of dark and debaucherous magic. Providing apt commentary from the future, it is here that The Shelleys just might find the inspiration to finish the album they’re writing based on these very events.
Under the cover of darkness, we first encounter the dapper flirt Percy Shelley. Yet it is not his future wife Mary in his arms but rather her sister, Claire. When we do meet Mary, she is bemused but not angry with Percy, revealing a polyamorous pentagon shared between Mary, Percy, George, aka Lord Byron, Claire, and Polidori. Darker deeds take hold of the situation when George’s incantation summons The Ghoul — Adian Chapman as a leather-studded satyr with an attitude and a pair of combat boots to match. Nightmares begin to unravel and harsh secrets are revealed when these five young poets look with wide eyes into their own grim futures. As the characters continually remind us, the only thing they fear is obsolescence.
Isabelle Jennings Pickering plays the altruistic Mary with great attention to character detail, conjuring us into the writer’s innermost heartache. Maxwell Ross is equally compelling as her soon-to-be husband, Percy, whose death scene is among the most tragic and heart-pounding moments of the play. Paul Pelletier Jr plays the infamous cad Lord Byron as such, but with the slightest hints of insecurity beneath his proud demeanor. Jason Zuckerman plays Polidori admirably but demonstrates remarkable range with a number of secondary roles as well. Finally, Sydney Dionne is enchanting as Claire, the figure we know the least and thus hold the most curiosity about. Lydia Gifford as Trillian (lead vocals/keys) is a compelling narrator and virtuosic musician. She is accompanied by Veronica Rose Bundy on guitar, Billy Bob Bonson on bass, and Dani Ray on drums, all of whom come well equipped with snarky commentary and alt-’90s flair.
Directed by Jenny McConnell Frederick, So Late Into the Night catches us by the throat and leads us briskly into a confrontation with fate. The production, however, most immediately succeeds thanks to its unique and immersive stage design. Set designer August Henney seats everyone — some audience members included — at an oversized table doubling as the stage where this satanic seance becomes as much an experience as a theatrical event. Dean Leong’s lighting design infuses the warehouse venue with ghoulish rock-glamour. From sultry flickers of candlelight to brazen LEDs, plus proto-period costuming by Jessica Utz, the overall aesthetic evokes a sense of transcendent liminality. It appropriately splits us between the play’s two major settings: a grungy Dayton music hall and the enchanted Geneva dinner party. Brandon Cook’s sound design adds extra spooky flavor to the already damning occasion.
So Late Into the Night is imaginative and thought-provoking — and makes an ideal October outing. It is likewise well-cast and well-acted, albeit occasionally meandering (the unique stage layout succeeds experientially but begets some awkwardness for its actors). The script, however, is in need of some refinement, as it appears to jump from idea to idea without clear direction.More than that, So Late Into the Night seems to take the term “fan fiction” a bit too literally. Trillian’s bizarre fanaticism for the long-dead Shelleys feels like her only defining character trait, and throwaway resolutions fail to land as effectively as the playwright might have hoped. The script’s worst offender is that, seemingly out of nowhere, So Late Into the Night attempts to reclaim Claire Clairmont as a feminist icon when most of the play’s discussions about femininity and womanhood are otherwise centered on childbearing and cheating ex-boyfriends.
Much as Shelley did with Frankenstein, So Late Into the Night meditates on what happens when we fly too close to the sun. The production’s greatest irony is that it might inadvertently be doing exactly that. The idea of theatricalizing the Geneva dinner party has legs, and that is where Northrip’s drama is most compelling. The production is likewise admirable and at times truly frightening (in a fun way!). But, in all honesty, trying to decipher a concept musical from a concept musical about writing a concept musical is where this critic gets extremely lost. Rorschach’s production does excellent work to capture the essence of gothic horror, but — without any disrespect to “goth mommy” Shelley — they appear unsure about how to rein in the monster they’ve unleashed.
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, with one intermission.
So Late Into the Night plays through November 2, 2025, presented by Rorschach Theatre performing at The Stacks at Buzzard Point, 101 V Street SW. Showtimes are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $50 for adults, $35 for students and seniors, with a limited number of $20 “InkTix” available for each performance. Purchase tickets online.
The program is online here.
The play is recommended for ages 13 and up. (See content information here.)
So Late Into the Night
By Shawn Northrip
Directed by Jenny McConnell Frederick
Music Directed by Nathan Nichipor
SEE ALSO:
Rorschach to open ‘So Late Into the Night’ at The Stacks in Buzzard Point (news story, September 2, 2025)
