Dracula

Dracula opened last night at the Red Tree Theatre at Tuggerah and it did not disappoint.  Not everybody is a fan of horror but the artistry and professionalism on display meant that I didn’t actually scream out loud as previously suspected.  Yes, it’s dark and yes it’s tense but there was actually a child in the audience who was remarkably cheery after the performance and apparently unscathed by the story, the blood, the fangs and the sexy ladies.  So do not let any preconceived ideas about this story put you off.  The overall presentation and individual performances here are well worth the effort, particularly when the ticket prices range from only $32 to $35 dollars.

Duncan Mitchell opens the show as Renfield and his portrayal of Dracula’s deranged and fanatically devoted servant is disturbingly brilliant.  He is unhinged yet highly intelligent in a Hannibal Lecter kind of way and devours insects like a lunatic should.  Mitchell is strong yet vulnerable all at once and is captivating to watch from start to finish.  Stephen Van Tongeren is excellent as Jonathan Harker and his fear of being locked up in Dracula’s castle is palpable.  His love for fiancé Mina feels completely genuine and the audience was always firmly on his side in this battle between good and evil.  Dr John Seward is portrayed by Raif Colbert-Smith and again, his ardent affection for his lady of choice, Lucy, could not be questioned.  Colbert-Smith is reliably consistent here and well cast as the psychiatrist who plays an important role in the destruction of Dracula.

Speaking of the titular character, Adam Golledge is marvellous as both the young charismatic and older, weakened Dracula.  He is handsome and sexy like a rockstar, meaning that the likelihood of young women being attracted to him and easily falling under his spell is completely believable.  His voice is just as seductive as his appearance.  Indeed, vixens Sara Brown and Sarah Anderson were well and truly at his command, and provided a lot of sexy vampiric tension when required.  Georgie Martin is alluring as the young and pretty Lucy, happy with her three marriage proposals and confident in her ability to charm her suitors.  This show however belongs to Courtney-Jade Buckley.  Her Mina is polished, sensible, sincere and rock solid.  Still only a young performer she has a huge career ahead of her.  She is incredibly focussed and mature and perfect for her role.  Big fan.

The only obvious fault on opening night were some technical glitches with the sound.  Some voices seemed to be dropping in and out and sadly Andrew McLennan, in the role of Professor Van Helsing, was the biggest victim of it.  His voice did not seem to be amplified at all in Act 1 and only became clearly audible half way through Act 2.  This was unfortunate because he maintained an effective accent throughout and Van Helsing’s knowledge of vampires is vital to the telling of the story.  Hopefully this was just an opening night phenomena that has since been corrected.

The scenery is simple but very effective and utilises the intimate space well.  The revolving centre piece was in the capable hands of the maid, Amelia Greef and the attendants, Bear Phoenix and Jacquie Pirina.  As such, the scene changes were very slick and obviously well-rehearsed as the tension didn’t slide despite the vast number of revolutions.  Final cast member, Gav Fryer, made the most of his limited stage time and brought the cast number up to a suitably ominous 13.

There are almost as many people off stage here as there are on.  Jane Sackman has done a sterling job of bringing her vision to life and surrounded herself with some very experienced and creative individuals.  Composer Andrew Worboys, Wardrobe Designer Margaret Holdom and Projection/Graphic Designer & Marketing guru Ben Hudson have particularly excelled.  Stage Manager Anna Carter maintained a professional pace right through and Cameron Mitchell’s lighting design was eerily on point.  Stage lighting generally calls for the eyes and teeth of the performers to be clearly visible, but the deep shadows and graveyard atmosphere here are ideal.

Dracula will be biting the necks of healthy, young ingenues until Saturday 9^th November.  Book now to avoid disappointment.

9.5 love bites out of 10.

Fiona Kelly