British electronic duo Underworld is contributing to the score and all the audio effects to Danny Boyle’s new production of Frankenstein. The band provided the score for Boyle’s 2007 film Sunshine.

The play, which premiered at the Royal National Theatre on February 5th, stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller, Naomie Harris, Karl Johnson and George Harris. The adaptation was penned by Nick Dear and directed by Danny Boyle of Trainspotting and 127 Hours notoriety.

“A script appeared while we were on tour and we were asked what we thought. After the initial amazement at being offered a three-month engagement at the National Theatre, we said we’d be thrilled to get involved,” said Karl Hyde. “Although it was outside of our comfort zone, it appealed to our sensibilities. Why the hell not?”

At this point we’ve created music, soundscapes and atmospheres that feature in about 70% of a
two-hour play. There are also alternate versions of each piece prepared in case scenes get extended…I think if you laid all the Underworld contributions end to end, it would represent hours of new material.

“Every time Danny asks us to get involved in a project, we say yes ‘cos we know it’s going to be a journey that will take us to strange new places, one that will push us harder and make us dig deeper than anything we might think to do on our own. He is the kind of director who can bring things out of us that even we
didn’t know were there…we’re just really excited about people seeing the play and experiencing what the whole team have made together.”