Taste productions 'Dracula -curse of the
Undead' had its preview performance in Dorset on 17th June to a
capacity audience.
The play is a faithful adaptation of the Bram Stoker chiller, but
has a number of innovations; Dracula is played by a woman in our
production, 26 yr old Kirsty Moore with waist length black hair and
her own very long nails!
We have one actor playing Renfield and Van Helsing, which creates an
interesting 'twist'; and the specially composed score and new music
to the familiar 'Love like Blood' lyrics all conspire to create an
unforgettable experience.
"For
those whose only experience of Dracula has been through his various
cinematic incarnations, it is easy to forget that he has his routes
in the theatre. His creator, Bram Stoker, was a theatrical agent,
and supposedly partly based the character of the imperious Count on
the legendary actor-manager, Henry Irving. As well as playing the
part successfully on film, Bela Lugosi also toured for decades in
the role, even keeping his own coffins for whenever they might be
required.
So,
Dracula is as linked to the theatre as it is to the media of book or
film. However, considering the psycho-sexual subtext of Stoker's
text, it is a bold choice to be performed by school-age actors, as
is the case in this production. It calls on extremes of experience
and emotion which, perhaps, it is asking a lot for younger
performers to convey. Valerie Goodwin's adaptation certainly doesn't
down-play these aspects of the text, stretching the actors
considerably.
It was
courageous to cast a female Dracula - it would seem to be such a
quintessentially masculine role. However, Kirsty Moore is does
remarkably well in the role, with her long hair and strong profile,
she has a powerfully androgynous presence and an understated danger.
The casting is similarly imaginative when it comes to Ethne
Grey-Still, in the two (male) roles of Van Helsing and Renfield.
While she worked hard to carry this off, the changes of costume and
character, I feel, put a strain on what would otherwise have been
well imagined characterisations - perhaps it would have been fairer
to cast her as one or the other, rather than both. Georgia Collins
rose to the challenge of Lucy, throwing herself into her gradual
descent into vampirism with aplomb.
In a
small venue like the Club House, they are perhaps hindered by a
standing set - for a Fringe show, this has quite a large cast, and
the set did result occasionally in restrictions of movement.
However, I found the device of the veiled, wraith-like figures, a
sort of living scenery in themselves, effective. When they emerged
as the Brides of Dracula it was as if they had appeared from the
walls. I feel that a simple black box, with these phantom-like
figures, and Douglas Dare's evocative music, would have served the
production just as well in setting the scene without physical flats
which had to be moved around.
In
general, the actors are to be commended for their hard work and
enthusiasm. Their characterisation and, in particular, accents were
well sustained, although more work could be done on clarity of
diction. However, it is to be applauded that TASTE Productions have
attempted to push the envelope beyond what might usually be
performed by a youth cast.
Robbie
Carnegie"
You can buy the script for Dracula - Curse
of the Undead from our online shop.
