Dracula

Bram Stoker’s novel is a richly atmospheric tale that has shaped modern vampire lore. It is a Gothic horror classic that chronicles the battle against Count Dracula, a powerful vampire intent on spreading his undead curse from Transylvania to England, combining suspense, terror, and themes of morality and desire In the novel. The story unfolds through diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings, giving readers a vivid and personal look at the lives of Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, and Professor Van Helsing as they confront the ancient evil, so I was interested to see how Compton was going to present this story as a play.

The play was performed around Halloween and I was pleased to see some spooky decorations still in the entrance as it really helped to set the scene but I would really have liked this to have carried on inside the auditorium with some suitable music playing while the audience arrived, I think this would have really helped get the audience in the mood for what was to come. Amateur groups often miss a trick by allowing audiences to arrive into a silent room – I think it’s really important to set the tone of the play right from when the audience arrives. Think of the music as your warmup act. That said, the opening music to the play was spot on – very atmospheric with a sense of foreboding.

I very much enjoyed the stillness of the opening scene while exerts of the ship’s diary were read out recounting mysterious events: crew members disappearing, and a pervasive sense of dread overtaking the ship. It really did set the tone for the rest of the play and was very atmospheric.

After the opening scene, the story is then told in flashback starting with the Jonathan Harker (very well played by George Buckland) a young solicitor travelling to Transylvania to assist Dracula with a property purchase in England. He finds Count Dracula (played by Pete Watt) a complex and enigmatic figure and his stay is very unsettling and finds himself a prisoner in the castle. I really enjoyed the nice little magic touches like the moving wine glass which really gave a sense of the supernatural.

When Jonathan eventually manages to escape and return to England, he is a changed man haunted by his experiences much to the concern of those around him. When Dracula arrives in England, he preys on the bright young Lucy Seward (played by Caroline Edwards) the daughter of Dr Seward (played by Alan Johnson) before turning his sights on Mina Murray, Jonathan’s fiancée (played by Teagan O’Brien). In desperation, Jonathan enlists the help of Dr Seward and Dr Van Helsing (played by Jasmine Mullany) – a woman of science with a deep understanding of medicine, philosophy, and ancient folklore – to track down and eventually kill Dracula, driving a stake through his heart.

I thought there was a lot to commend this production – the staging was very simple but effective with a set of French windows at the back of the stage. The music was well chosen and the lighting and sound FX were well timed and excellent throughout. Costumes, hair and make-up (lots of blood!) were very appropriate and looked great. All the technical aspects certainly contributed to recreating a chilling Victorian atmosphere befitting this play – so hats off to the technical team!

The direction by Phil Prior was effective throughout – the cast moved easily around the stage and created some nice pictures and tableaus on the stage. There were some lovely dramatic moments – particularly when Dracula comes through the French windows to visit Mina, I was definitely holding my breath! Phil wasn’t afraid to use moments of stillness which really complemented the production at times and allowed the audience to be drawn into the moment.

There were times when I felt the pace could have been sharper but generally it was good throughout. I thought the use of the front of the stage in front of the curtains was really good and worked well, particularly when the protagonists were looking for Dracula’s tomb. I really wished they could have used this more though, to cut down on the number of scene changes – which I found a little excessive. Some of the scene changes went on for around a minute – this might not seem a long time but when you’re sat in the dark listening to shuffling on the stage it seems endless. Some music over the transition from scene to scene may have helped, or simply having the characters on stage moving things around in front of the audience (still in character) would have been better. As it was, the constant stopping and starting with the curtain being closed after each of the many scenes broke the concentration of the audience at times rather than having the action flow throughout and it became quite episodic.

The acting, however, was superb – Pete Watt’s Dracula started quiet but became more enigmatic, compelling and at times commanding as the play went on. He obviously understood the complexities of the character very well (he also wrote this adaptation, so I sense that this is a story that means a lot to him).

George Buckland handled the transitions from bright ambitious solicitor to a man haunted by his experiences at Dracula’s castle, and to finally a man on a mission to protect Mina and destroy Dracula with ease and skill. Both girls – Caroline Edwards and Teagan O’Brian as Lucy and Mina – were excellent as young proper Victorian middle class ladies who turned into wanton vampires under the spell of Dracula. Teagan in particular grew into the part as the play went on and was very convincing as a young woman confused and distraught by her situation.

Jasmine Mullany’s Van Helsing was a woman on a mission guiding the group of protagonists and uniting them in their fight against evil. Although compassionate, she was resolute in nature which showed particularly in the scene when she forced Dr Seward to drive a stake through his own daughter’s heart! Alan Johnson turned in a solid performance as Dr Seward, the head of a mental asylum – he was rational and compassionate with Renfield, one of his patients, and suitably distressed at the horror of his daughter becoming one of Dracula’s victims. Catherine Lee and Hollie Genevieve’s ‘Strigois’ (mythical, vampire-like creatures) became almost like part of the staging – hissing and weaving in and out of the action, ever present reminding the audience of the mythical nature of the play. I really enjoyed their whispering and ghoulish giggling echoing throughout. Paul Shave had a small cameo performance as the doomed Boat Captain in the opening scene and set the ominous tone of fear and confusion right from the start.

Stand out performance for me though was Naomi Read as Bella Renfield – she was superb as the mentally deranged patient in Dr Seward’s asylum, oscillating between lucidity and madness. She was beautifully erratic and obsessive but at the same time fragile – it was a real tour de force performance.

In summary, I thought this was a really effective production and Compton did a tremendous job in bringing to life a challenging book and exploring its themes. I am so glad I had the opportunity to see such a different production and really look forward to their next production. Well done Compton Players!

KAREN CAREY