DRAC-OOH-LA-LA
The play Dracula, in its West Coast premiere at the Old Globe is subtitled A Comedy of Terrors. It’s unlikely that viewers will be terrified by the show, but as for “Comedy,” it’s laughs all the way. Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, riding the praise heaped on them for their satire of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment at the Old Globe, have now subjected Dracula to a similar coronation.
George Krissa as Dracula and Brady Dalton Richards as Harker
In 1897, English author Bram Stoker, a theater manager at the Lyceum in London, introduced Count Dracula in a novel; the character quickly became, and still is, the most famous vampire in world literature. Inspired by the folklore of the region where Stoker set his story, the character of Dracula slowly became a phenomenon. There was a theater adaptation by Hamilton Deane in 1924, later the famous Broadway production with Bela Lugosi in 1927, then the Universal Studios film in 1931, which forever identified Bela Lugosi with the role.
Linda Mugleston as Dr. Westfeldt and Drew Droege as Van Helsing
This being a Greenberg-Rosen enterprise, the Old Globe adaptation is highly personal and awash in the visual and verbal treatment we expect and anticipate from this unique team. There are anachronisms, double entendres, jokes, quips, word play, life-size puppets, puns, sex (ranging from PG to R), and countless shifts in identity from male to female and back again. The comedy foot is never off the pedal.
Linda Mugleston, Brady Dalton Richards, and Drew Droege
Five actors go through the manic paces of the clever, witty, imaginative narrative. There are countless costume changes, many of them on stage. The action is continuous and flawless. One can only wonder at the amount of rehearsal time dedicated to perfecting all the character movements and accents. I noted only one fluff on opening night, which the performer smoothly rectified and the audience gleefully acknowledged. The bit should be retained in the show permanently.
George Krissa as Dracula and Brady Dalton Richards as Harker
Instead of a menacing middle-aged Bela Lugosi replica in the title role, the production features George Krissa as a horny young hunk. Krissa combines the lasciviousness of his Dracula with moments that suggest the man is lonely and only yearns for a little love. His Dracula is still a villain but he does suggest a more sympathetic side. A nice touch.
Gizel Jiménez as Lucy and George Krissa as Dracula
The other actors playing multiple roles are actors Drew Droege and Brady Dalton Richards and actresses Gizel Jiménez and Linda Mugleston, not that you could always tell which is which on stage with all the gender-switching going on. Droege tickles as Mina, an overweight redhead desperately seeking some bedtime action. Mugleston is a hoot as the male Dr. Westfeldt, who has strong feelings about women’s rights. Jiménez plays the toothsome Lucy, Dracula’s prey of choice, and Richards wrestles with issues about his sexual identity. All four carry full loads of eccentricities that keep the audience in a joyous mood. Talk about versatility!
Gizel Jiménez as Lucy and Drew Droege as Mina
Behind the scenes, the staff of outstanding company designers gives the production its one-of-a-kind visual and sound presence. The four artists at the top of the aesthetic pyramid are Tijana Bjelajac (scenic design), Tristan Raines (costume design), Rob Denton (lighting design), and Victoria Deiorio (sound design and original music). Finally, Gordon Greenberg directs this deceptively complex production with the surest of comic instincts, imaginatively guiding the comparatively small cast through the vast number of vivid scenes.
Brady Dalton Richards as Harker
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors runs a tight 90 minutes with no intermission. That provides plenty of time to entertain customers with a full buffet of offbeat theatrical pleasure.
(Clockwise from left) Drew Droege, George Krissa, Linda Mugleston,
Gizel Jiménez, and Brady Dalton Richards
photos by Jim Cox
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre
1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park
Tues-Thurs at 7; Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8; Sun at 2 & 7
ends on October 27, 2024 EXTENDED to November 3, 2024
for tickets (starting at $49), call 619.437.6000 or visit The Old Globe