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Dracula

Published Monday 3 November 2008 at 13:00 by Barbara Lewis

Sexy, aristocratic, mysterious and ultimately as tragic as he’s villainous, Count Dracula is a gift of a part for the small stage as well as the big screen.

Taking up where film adaptations left off, this mini musical version successfully makes the male half of the audience aspire to be like him, while the women long to “come into his arms”, to quote from one of the more memorable of the show’s easy-on-the-ear songs.

With a compelling stage presence and a powerful singing voice, Leigh Jones is made for the role. Others are also very well cast and the performances are consistently strong. The fresh-faced Duncan Wigman is the innocent Jonathan Harker. In danger of appearing ridiculously naive besides the wily count, he grows in authority as he defends the love of his life Mina (Annabel King), whose inner toughness is expressed through a voice comparable to Dracula’s in strength.

Her foil is the fragile, flirtatious Lucy, played by Joanna Hickman, who also accompanies on the cello musical director and pianist Neil MacDonald. Alex Loveless’ music and lyrics err on the side of the sentimental and straight, but they faithfully convey the spirit of Bram Stoker’s novel and deftly build up the drama, which makes for highly-enjoyable studio theatre entertainment.

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