Within the world of horror and monsters, vampires have always seemed to reign supreme above the other things that go bump in the night. From novels to film and television, stories of bloodsucking ghouls have scared and seduced audiences for centuries. Horror exists to chill us to the bone, but what would happen if it hits the funny bone? “Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors” at The Old Globe is a hilarious, raucous and raunchy retelling of fiction’s most famous vampire, Count Dracula.
Based on the novel by Bram Stoker, the story begins with Jonathan Harker (Brady Dalton Richards), a tight-laced real estate agent, on a trip to Transylvania to sell castles and homes to Dracula (George Krissa). Dracula spots a photo of Harker’s lovely bride-to-be, Lucy (Gizel Jiménez), and he soon takes off on a trip to London to seek out his newest prey. The next hour is filled with drag, slapstick, puppets and lots of wigs.
It is a one-act show of around 90 minutes. The script is fast-paced, with scenes quickly jumping from one right to the next. The actors deliver the lines with superb comedic timing and hilarious accents to boot. Krissa is a devilishly handsome Dracula with an insufferable ego that makes the character that much more fun.
One of the standout performances comes from Drew Droege as both Lucy’s sister, Mina, and the gender-bent Jean Van Helsing. Droege claimed the stage every time they appeared with a quick, sharp delivery that left the audience howling with laughter—not to mention a brief moment where they almost broke character, which is always a delight at a live performance.
The script takes many liberties with characters and plot points that differ slightly from the original Bram Stoker story. Whether it’s to set itself apart from the traditional tale or streamline the storytelling, it’s a little unclear why the changes were made. If you’re relatively familiar with the original story, the small changes do stand out, but they aren’t distracting enough to take away from the enjoyment of the show.
The play intertwines both the original story’s time period and elements from the present day. Costumer Tristan Raines has dressed most of the characters in traditional 19th-century attire, apart from the vampires, who dress like modern-day rock stars. The present-day element also comes from the fun and creative lighting by designer Rob Denton. LED lights fill the floor and theater walls to create an ambiance that sometimes feels like a nightclub.
Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen have taken a gothic horror classic and transformed it into a silly and sexy event for the Halloween season. This production in the round is entertaining and fun from all angles and your sides will be split from laughter.
(Photo credit: Jim Cox)
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