Dracula: Last Voyage of the Demeter

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula there is a brief mentione of Dracula travelling by ship to England. Writer Sean Carney has chosen to imagine what occurred on that fateful trip and has created an eerie tale that is confidently presented.

We are below deck in a cargo area where the Captain of the good ship Demeter is guarding Dracula, who has been captured, chained and caged. The ship is becalmed and an unrelenting fog descends, causing crew and passengers to become unsettled.

Despite the Captains orders for Dracula to remain isolated, the lure of seeing a Vampire is too great. One by one the characters meet and converse with the prisoner. A series of incidents ensue – is it all co-incidence or is it being orchestrated by a master manipulator?

The cast are well rehearsed and confident in their moves and maintain the tension through- out the play.  Lack of vocal projection by several characters hopefully will be addressed in subsequent performances.  

Special mention must be made of Gregory Caine as Dracula. Throughout the play he is in a small cage centre stage, relying heavily on his vocal and facial talents. He beguiles and manipulates and maintains an ominous presence.

Technically this production is very impressive. Set design by Dan Ward and Ashley Tardy is detailed and sets the mood the minute you take your seat. The lighting and sound design and operation is sympathetic to the style and perfectly backs up the mood. Costume design by Charlotte Sweeney is detailed, well executed and perfectly in keeping with the production.

Directed with a sure hand by Ashley Tardy, Dracula: Last Voyage of the Demeter is a riveting tale well told.

Shirley Jensen