Dracula

You have to admire this young and enterprising troupe who travel the country with a repertoire of generally famous works they especially adapt for the stage. This is a demanding project to present on this occasion, with limited space and the use of a theme which is more than familiar ground for its audience.

But this particular company has its own personal stamp, and this production is no exception.

What impressed me most was its presentation. With the use of a revolving stage, something, sadly, we don't see often these days, set designer Josh McIntosh puts a generous amount of theatrical tricks in motion to get this famous gothic horror tale well on the road. Jason Glenwright's lighting design is riveting enough to send a chill up your spine just on its own; and even more so, composer Guy Webster's music and sound design, which would seriously affect the overall impression of this show if it wasn't there in its full abundance.

There have been countless interpretations and variations on this theme for years, so it was refreshing to see an adaptation where the creators chose to stick closely to Bram Stoker's novel. There was also some relevant interpretation with a distinctively modern Freudian reference, something which has contributed towards fruitful discussion amongst the academics over the years.

With such a small company, one can be limited by choice of actor and there were times when some of these performances waned a little, as indeed the pace of the show. The essence of the mood of this story is well known, but at a certain point this version started wavering on the melodramatic, even comical, which threw some confusion into the smoke and consternation, though the final segment had the audience on the edge of their seats. Also, the use of foreign accents is 'in' these days and could have provided more flavour to this presentation. Having said this, Nick Skubij's portrayal of Count Dracula was excellent, in both guises, accent included, and the rest of the cast's diligent contributions more than apparent both on and off the stage, on a production level.

Certainly an interesting night out and worth digging your teeth into, Shake and Stir's version of this timeless classic is commendable, in particular for its sense of enthusiasm and a team who appeared to have a bloody good time putting it all together.

Brian Adamson