Review
DRACULA
Theatre Calgary and Manitoba Theatre Centre
Starring: Jean LeClerc, Robert G. Slade and Barbara Gates Wilson
Directed by: Steven Schipper
Runs until November 9
Max Bell Theatre (CPA)
Dracula is old-fashioned fun, but it’s a toothless night of theatre.
Theatre Calgary, in co-production with Manitoba Theatre Centre, takes us back to the 1920s with a production of the first and most successful stage version of Dracula – the version that made Bela Lugosi a star, led to the classic Universal film and is the great-granddaddy of a multitude of literary and film vampires.
It’s intriguing to see the show that started it all by transforming Bram Stoker’s novel into a matinée sensation. There is plenty of theatre history onstage in this production – set design, lighting, costumes and special effects all harken back to 1927. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, Dracula is worth a nibble.
Jean LeClerc, as the Transylvanian Count Dracula, dominates the production. When he isn’t onstage, everyone is talking about him. When he sweeps into the room, his flash and stylish continental flair attracts all the attention. It’s a melodramatic, over-the-top performance delivered with larger-than-life gestures, plenty of cape twirling and an accent as thick as blood pudding. It’s just what you expect in Dracula.
Unfortunately, director Steven Schipper has given LeClerc such a free hand that he overwhelms the rest of the cast. Although Dracula connects with the audience, he rarely connects with the other performers.
Dracula shocked and thrilled audiences 70 years ago, but it’s pretty tame stuff today. Rubber bats and creaky dialogue have no power to horrify. What drew shrieks in the ’20s gets laughs today. The production plays on this at times, but could go further. There is welcome comic relief from Robert G. Slade as the bug-eating lunatic Renfield, and Barbara Gates Wilson as the maid who falls under Dracula’s hypnotic spell, but we could use more.
For those who are partial to vampires or nostalgic for a taste of theatre from a bygone era, Dracula will be of interest. For most, however, this is museum theatre with very little bite. |
