Science Fiction on Stage
Science Fiction in the strict sense has only rarely been set on the stage. Recent shows like Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Starlight Express, and others have, however started to change that. Fantasy, of course, has a much longer history on the stage.
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One of the first Science Fiction plays was Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein adapted from Mary Shelley's novel, with a book by Richard Brinsley Peake, in 1823. It opened on Monday, 28 July 1823 at the English Opera House, and played for 37 performances over the course of the summer. Due to peculiarities of English theatre law at the time, it had to include songs, though apparently the monster didn’t sing.
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Below is a photo from a production of R.U.R. by Karel ÄŒapek, which first introduced, and named, the concept of robots. The play was first produced in 1920.
