Blackeyed Theatre's Dracula UK Tour Review (New Theatre Royal Lincoln)

27 February 2025 I 19:30 I New Theatre Royal, Lincoln

⭐⭐

Dracula by Blackeyed Theatre is a stylised theatrical adaptation that remains faithful to Bram Stoker's novel. Staging literature's most infamous vampire, Nick Lane's directorial vision is unfortunately disorienting, often falling into stereotypes and tropes. This isn't inherently bad, though lacking the sophistication to venture beyond surface-level concepts. Visually, the piece is a gothic majesty and often benefits toward a sinister atmosphere, yet the material is drained of a truly haunting existence.

Dracula is a prominent figure in media, although where Bram Stoker's novel is immensely popular and studied, I had yet to fully encounter it besides Gothic studies at university. Originally an epistolary work (conceived as a series of fictional letters), the legend of Count Dracula is feared in Transylvania, dwelling in his labyrinthine castle. Destined for England, he boards the Demeter. Entering a pure feeding ground, what follows is a sequence of seduction and corruption, integrating vampirism into an unspoiled nation.

This adaptation begins with a vocal collage, a refreshing reminder of the rules and characteristics of a vampire (they possess the strength of twenty men, to give example). I welcome this initial educational prologue, establishing an uneasy opening tone. However, these statements are often repeated in transitions through the performance, becoming tiresome. This can border on patronising the audience, lessening the impact of a preliminary warning.

Immediately entering the auditorium, Victoria Spearing's set design speaks volumes even in absence of cast. A fluid and abstract design, the space is able to morph through the many settings from the novel. Fashioned as layers of wooden crucifixes, a religious superstition is constantly rife. While this is a concept seen before in the likes of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, this vision remains striking and serving a space that alienates Dracula's presence.

Stylistically, audiences may find similarities to Herford's The Woman In Black, with Oliver Welsh's lighting design complimenting the supernatural to great effect, notably with the menace of haze. Blackouts should be considered in moderation, with numerous transitions creating an empty void.

Choral song is explored briefly, sounding pleasant and ominous, though uncertain as to whether they are cohesive with the aesthetics of the play. And while Naomi Gibbs' costuming is periodically accurate, squeaking shoes from male members of the cast are majorly distracting in transitions, diminishing often delicate scenes.

Marie Osman's Lucy is a highlight to this production, a paragon of innocence slowly consumed by the Count's control. Osman displays bounds of emotional intelligence, both in her Lucy and gender-inverted Renfield, a compelling representation of repressed Victorian sexuality and femininity. Harry Rundle's Dracula is a clear stand-out, delivering the text with an unsettling nuance that never overpowers the scene.

A six-person cast remain onstage for the entirety, lurking upstage behind the fragmented set. The onlooking eyes are investing, though costume changes are clearly visible, thus when we see Dracula's cape being thrown on, his entrances are weak and predictable, difficult to fear what we anticipate.

A heavily multi-rolled cast can ultimately be confusing, many voices performing narration where Lane's scripting fails to establish an anchor that the audience can connect with. Each cast member sharing two primary roles, the contrast in vocal textures and physicalisations is mightily impressive. The creative choice for David Chafer to portray both Count Dracula and Van Helsing (one another's dramatic foil) is irrational. For those new to Stoker's plot like myself, there is little clarity to set both roles apart.

Tristan Parkes' sound design can be greatly praised, enhancing the fictional world with an unsettling soundscape, using speakers behind the audience to heighten the level of immersion. A brief moment sees the ensemble mimicking wind, blowing air through their lips in a suspension of childish quality, though recorded sound regains momentum and continues to thrill.

Having recently studied vampire theory, Blackeyed Theatre's Dracula doesn't succeed in its adaptation due a lack of purpose with the material. While rooted within the original text, it requires more creative initiative to establish the monster. Is the vampire an orientalist outsider, a weapon of seduction or perhaps a more traditionally satanic threat? Juggling all premises opposed to amplifying one, this production suffers with a miscarriage of such fascinating lore.