"FRANKENSTEIN," Mortal Fools Theatre Project, through Oct. 31 (801-488-6849); running time, 90 minutes (one 10-minute intermission)

PROVO — Creepy.

Unsettling.

And a little bit horrific.

The current production of "Frankenstein" is all of the above, plus it's well-acted and well-produced, with quality performances, nice staging and all of the accouterments that go along with a professional-level show.

This classic thriller is the first of what those involved in the Mortal Fools Theatre Project hope to be a long run of such productions. (They plan to put Tennessee William's "The Glass Menagerie" on stage in March 2010.)

And it's obvious the members of the cast are seasoned performers.

David Morgan, who plays the tormented Victor Frankenstein, is a full-time theater faculty member at Brigham Young University. Ward Wright, who plays the creature, has done professional theater for 15 years. Chris Clark, who plays Henry Clerval, is a full-time professor of acting at Utah Valley University.

Others in the cast include Annadee Morgan, who plays Elizabeth with wide-eyed and deep concern; Nancy Candrian, who plays Frau Frankenstein with the motherly warmth and fussiness that could drive a man crazy on its own; Matthew Carlin, who plays the uptight police inspector; Rachel Baird, who plays the skittish Sophie; and Becca Ingram, who plays the spooked gypsy girl.

They all have the credentials and the talent they need for telling this bizarre tale.

Wright is an especially good creature who manages to be as frightening as he is wretched.

Clark effectively portrays a man overcome by the thrill of participating in a science experiment that has enormous potential. He pushes away his initial revulsion and goes with the thrill.

Morgan does a fine job as the inventor who didn't really think through what it might mean to create life. He's obviously proud, alarmed, worried and obsessed, all at the same time. He also loses big time in his quest for glory.

The storyline takes him places we all could go if we mess too much with God's work.

Here's a show for Halloween for adult audiences that's worth watching. (Just watch out for the ear-splitting gunshots at the end and the shaking set pieces throughout.)

e-mail: haddoc@desnews.com