I saw a travel story about Transylvania recently and it suggested that there was more to this region in Central Romania than just Dracula. I thought, bullshit!
Because that is THE interesting thing about Transylvania, isn’t it? I would suggest that Dracula is probably good for business there … and bad in equal measure. With apologies to any Transylvanians reading. But I digress. I’m here to talk about Shake & Stir’s Dracula.
After a decade in the shadows this critically acclaimed production rises again and returns to QPAC for a strictly limited season. I’ve seen this show twice before and it is utterly brilliant, one of my all-time favourites. Nick Skubij and Nelle Lee have adapted Bram Stoker’s famous epistolatory novel with great skill to produce a powerful and compelling piece of theatre that still scares the hell out of me.
And even though I was prepared for the bits that made me nearly fall out of my seat last time, they scared me just as much this time. Dracula is on in the Playhouse at QPAC until November 8 and I would suggest seeing it a couple of times, at least.
I was thinking about why I love the story so much and I think it’s the same reason I love Macbeth. Both are terrific tales that combine reality with the supernatural and the downright infernal. Both deal with people who lose their souls. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth lose their lives and souls in a different way, though.
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But this idea of losing one’s soul is the central scary bit for me. The idea of eternal life is, I believe, overrated. The idea of eternal life as a blood-sucking zombie is beyond scary. But this is what happens to those who get bitten by Count Dracula. And once bitten well, there’s only one cure – a stake through the heart and decapitation. Yep, you heard right.
It’s so shocking that it’s almost funny. There are a few times during this show when people laugh. A bit hysterically. But it’s more scary than funny.
The story is familiar to all of us. When young lawyer Jonathan Harker (Ryan Hodson) journeys deep into the Carpathian Mountains, he is unprepared for the strange welcome awaiting him at Castle Dracula. Trapped within its walls and at the mercy of his mysterious host, Jonathan soon discovers he may be more than a guest – he may be the main course!
Leaving Jonathan for dead, Dracula (Nick Skubij) abandons his castle for London, driven by an insatiable hunger for seduction, eternal love and, above all, blood.
From the company behind the acclaimed national touring productions of Frankenstein, 1984 and A Christmas Carol – Bram Stoker’s legendary gothic nightmare returns to Brisbane bolder, bloodier and unleashed on a thrilling new scale.
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Nick Skubij’s Dracula is an amazing feat. He’s scary, sexy, kind of like a rock star at times but, of course, he’s pretty well the devil incarnate. Loren Hunter plays Mina, Harker’s fiancé and Dracula sure as hell wants to suck her blood. But first he feasts on her friend Lucy (Jessica Vickers), who is attended to by medico Seward (Nick James), who is unable to save her.
Vampire hunter Van Helsing is played by Nicholas Hope, who also plays the lunatic Renfield, who is enthralled with the prospect of the imminent arrival of the one he calls Master.
Lucy’s life cannot be saved but Van Helsing can help save her eternal soul. But shape-shifting Dracula is in the country now and plans to suck the life out of Mina, too, and anyone else he can get his fangs into.
I cannot find any fault with this show
Director Michael Futcher does a masterful job bringing Dracula back to the stage and the show looks amazing – gothic as hell (pardon the pun) with set design by Josh McIntosh and lighting by Jason Glenwright. Sound designer and composer is Guy Webster, while Nigel Poulton is fight director and movement coach. Ross Balbuziente serves as creative producer.
Basically, Shake & Stir has got the band back together – and they are all brilliant. I cannot find any fault with this show.
It had me on the edge of my seat again and again and I didn’t even mind when they went over their allotted one hour and 40 minutes – with no interval. It was more like an hour and 50 minutes, actually, but it didn’t matter to me, although I noticed a few weak bladders couldn’t quite cope. My advice is – have a tinkle before the show, not during it.
Dracula plays QPAC’s Playhouse until November 8.
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