Bram Stoker’s literary classic returns to the stage through this latest adaptation by the Blackeyed Theatre company – currently going on tour across the country. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if this new version of the horror masterpiece continues to be a fang-tastic experience.
It may seem almost inconceivable to think of Dracula (and let alone, its author) as a gay icon – no matter how blatantly homoerotic vampire tales, especially when taking to the screen, tend to be (I’m aware Tom Cruise is not going to like that, and I’m just loving it so much). But nowadays, it’s widely believed that Bram Stoker actually wrote his signature Gothic horror piece as a means of exorcising his own demons – the anxious mind of a wounded soul, shattered by the hostile attitude of the same virtuous society that, only a few weeks before penning the initial words of his novel, had sentenced his fellow author (and friend), Oscar Wilde, to the most excruciating kind of punishment; for heinous crime of simply loving someone of his same sex.
The sexual undertone of Dracula, emanating through the overall mystique of the character, and combined with the eerie allure of the vampire (and by extent, the terror genre) lore, are the incisive traits that build the essence of a story that’s managed to endure in people’s imagination for over a century now. Every successful adaptation understands this principle. From early examples like the 1930s Hollywood blockbuster (Spanish double version, with its questionable acting, included), as well as Murnau’s expressionist paradigm Nosferatu, to more far-fetched examples such as Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers, and the subsequent Jim Steinman stage musical, Tanz der Vampire, or even The Rocky Horror Show, every version mirrors (regardless of how much its protagonist may dislike that term) the same basic concept: vampires are the epitome of seductiveness – threatening but tempting, elegant but edgy. In some manner, a first example of queer culture.
The Blackeyed Theatre Company resurrects (no pun intended) Stoker’s recount in its purest form. Adapted and directed by Nick Lane, this new take on the Transylvanian superstar (not Frank N. Furter, the other one) also brings back Stoker’s narrative style – emulating the novel’s epistolar approach by adopting a first-person raconteur role that’s continuously swapped among its personages. Following the book’s structure with faithful scrutiny, to the point of even reproducing some of its passages almost verbatim, Lane makes an acknowledgable effort at staying loyal to the material. However, it’s the needs and opportunities that theatre, as a medium, can offer that are wistfully forgotten – delivering a performance that makes itself clear about where it’s coming from, but giving fewer to no hints about what it is as an individual work of art.
Suffering from a severe lack of pacing, the montage gives the recurring impression of putting itself on a straightjacket – able to reproduce the action, but constantly struggling to find (and subsequently, inflict) any emotion. The problem, most likely, stems from an absence of comprehension of the piece’s subtext. While the spooky side is more or less conveyed, all the remaining themes that make the source tale significant are practically ignored – leaving its audiences far from sanguine, as a result; thirsty for some richer substance that they can only hope for, but which unfortunately never appears to materialise.
In addition, though the stage design (credit to Victoria Spearing) effectively evokes the bleak, Victorian atmosphere of the Stoker’s supernatural universe, some levels of theatricality seem to be missing – offering versatility but not too much dynamism to provide the seamlessness the account requires; and thus, preventing it from squeezing its full potential as a live spectacle. On the other hand, though the cast flaunts noticeable dedication in their renditions, none of them, most regrettably, are capable of standing out – striving to ooze sufficient chemistry, layering and, above all, believability, and suggesting the possibility that the performers may have not sunk their teeth into their roles deep enough.
A nice little tribute to a gigantic icon in almost every manifestation of late Western culture, Blackeyed’s production of Dracula honours its creator’s legacy by remaining true-hearted to its starting point, but puts its meaning and attractiveness at stake by not taking care of the crucial aspects that could make it transition from undead to actually immortal. It’s an entertaining jaunt, nonetheless, but it’s still a long way to the cuspid before it becomes bloody good.
Dracula is currently on tour across the UK until 24 May 2025. Tickets are available on the following link.