In adapting the novel, Lee was struck by the fact that Victor Frankenstein (played in the show by Darcy Brown) pursues his scientific aim of creating life with single-minded drive, yet has nothing but self-pity when it all goes horribly wrong.

“He just has no responsibility or empathy for his creation,” Lee says. “Which as an adaptor I found a bit challenging.”

Her script alludes to current events in a scene of farmers wondering how long they’ll have jobs when 19th century technology is inventing new machines all the time. “We don’t want to be too on the nose, but just a few little nods like that resonate with what’s happening today.”

Lee shares the artistic directorship of Shake & Stir with Nick Skubij and Ross Balbuziente. The three rotate between producing, writing, directing and starring roles; Balbuziente is producing Frankenstein, while Skubij (who played Count Dracula for the company’s 2017 production) is directing it as a combination of human drama and on-stage wizardry.

“It’s got the essence of simple, ensemble-based theatrical storytelling mixed in with a high-tech production environment, and I think that gives the best of both worlds,” says Skubij.

Then of course, there’s the monster, played by six-foot-four Jeremiah Wray. Wray has just completed a run in Melbourne in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and played Draco Malfoy in over 70 performances.

“We really lucked out with Jeremiah, who’s a NIDA-trained classical actor and an incredible physical presence,” says Skubij.

Wray says he found monstrous inspiration from a surprising place: his toddler nephew. “There’s something quite innate and natural about how someone learns to walk, or how they’re discovering their own body,” he says. “There is something so exciting about a character experiencing everything for the first time.”

Wray will wear makeup designed by Steven Boyle’s company Formation Effects, makers of monsters and bodily effects for big-budget films including The Hobbit and What We Do In The Shadows.

Shake & Stir formed in 2006 when Balbuziente, touring in a show for Grin & Tonic with Skubij, met Lee socially. Balbuziente says it was more than a creative affinity that made the three of them a good fit, given his own business and marketing qualifications, Skubij’s law degree, and Lee’s computer nous.

“Strategically, we had very different skills that I knew could complement each other, and that’s what has formed the solid foundation of the company,” Balbuziente says.

Shake & Stir’s achievements are many, from six annual seasons of A Christmas Carol to reaching 240,000 audience members a year in Australia and New Zealand and having performed in all four of QPAC’s theatres. In partnership with Arts Queensland over the next three years, they are upgrading their schools touring service, with a focus on travelling to remote communities.

Is the trio’s creation in danger of slipping its bonds?

Skubij quips: “It’s our AI – our Frankenstein.”

Frankenstein is at the Playhouse, QPAC, October 14-28.