Soho Theatre – until 1 March 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Airlock Theatre’s third big queer musical extravaganza is a silly, soft-hearted romp through horror and teen movie tropes.
Count Dykula (Rosanna Suppa) is happy living alone in her gothic castle and terrorising people behind the big Asda but decides that enrolling in Scare University could hone her vampire skills and image.
She is horrified to discover the vamp dean, Scarlett Fang’s (Eleanor Colville) vision for Scare U – co-ed with humans. Scarlett’s curriculum pushes the human ideals of monster stereotypes, and butch Dykula certainly doesn’t fit into the stereotypical image of a lesbian vampire – thanks to James Corden.
Dykula stumbles across a club for misfits and together with her new friends – a Shakespeare-loving zombie, a friendly ghost and a werepug – decide to bring Scarlett down. The jokes come thick and fast, ranging from filthy to dad jokes, with tremendous commitment to a running joke about Dykula’s pronunciation of silent letters. It’s great fun, with a heartfelt message about being yourself amongst the silliness.
The cast of three writer/performers – Eleanor Colville, Rosanna Suppa and Robbie Taylor Hunt – play multiple roles. School announcements filled with groansome jokes cover the scene changes as they dash on and off stage for quick costume changes. Under Robbie Taylor Hunt’s madcap direction, the show digs deep into panto and is funny and frantic. Musician and occasional scenery Meg Narongchai accompanies the musical numbers with a gloriously deadpan air contrasting with the chaos ensuing around her. Colville, Suppa and Taylor Hunt have brilliant chemistry and comic timing – Suppa and Taylor Hunt are a hoot as they try to answer in synch while improvising as a two headed dragon.
Count Dykula is an absolute blast – a spooky spoof that will have you howling with laughter.