Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 18th January 2025
Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau
4****
Dracula. The very name looms over literature like a worryingly dark corner of the room in the dead of night! We all know Bram Stoker’s classic. Or, do we?
Our first impression of the evening was of a set (designed by Victoria Spearing) which was highly intriguing; a sparse wooden frame on multiple levels, more a suggestion of a set… The actors worked hard to navigate the space, the gaping holes in the structure felt apt in the context of this most psychological of Gothic Horrors. We were evidently in for a thoroughly modern production.
The small cast tackled multiple roles in exemplary fashion, morphing from one to another via a transformed voice and the subtle change of a piece of clothing. The costumes were both functional yet sumptuous so kudos to Costume Designer Naomi Gibbs (especially for Dracula’s coat). They also performed composer Tristan Parkes’s original songs live on stage. These atmospheric gems (and other incidental music) added greatly to the fog filled atmosphere. An impressive display from the entire ensemble but Maya-Nika Bewley (playing Mina) is worthy of special mention for her energetic portrayal of this pivotal character.
In an unusual move, Dracula was played by three different actors (David Chafer, Richard Keightley and Harry Rundle). This allowed for the Count to get younger as he fed and gave some interesting juxtapositions like old Dracula (Chafer) being played by his nemesis Van Helsing – not something you see every day! It gave the Count some deliciously intense, off-kilter energy.
My memory of the original story was that Renfield was a minor character. Important, but slight in terms of page (or screen) time. In this production Renfield (played with impactful elan by Marie Osman) was a major part of the plot. The adapter had imbued the character’s story arc with a whole potential subplot that wasn’t in the original book which jarred somewhat as (for me) it felt like an addition crudely nailed on the outside of the story and was totally irrelevant anyway since Renfield was, in fact, insane! Not that this detracted from the tale, just that it stood out like bloody bite marks on a porcelain skinned neck. Adapter Nick Lane took some other liberties with the script with the ending being the biggest shock of the night. I believe he was making a rather important social commentary point which I appreciated and won’t spoil. It’s certainly a talking point.
I did miss a “crappy flappy bat” on an ineffectual wire – if I’m truly honest. But, then, I’m a massive fan of Universal and Hammer depictions so that probably says much about my schlocky preference and sensibilities. I was tickled pink though that the Count didn’t lose the “…children of the night… what music they make” line to Harker (Pelé Kelland-Beau giving us a finely nuanced portrayal).
This production may come as a surprise to many – which isn’t a bad thing for a tale so oft told. Blackeyed Theatre made some bold choices and almost all paid off handsomely, so they are to be loudly applauded. Personally I loved it and wholeheartedly recommend this show. One might even declare it (apologies in advance but sorry, can’t resist) “bloody good entertainment”.