A new vision of Dracula at ZACH Theatre promises thrills and seduction along with a feminist twist.
While Steven Dietz’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s gothic horror classic can be amorphous at times, the original tale’s vast iterations and complex history lends itself to be somewhat elusive to capture. At its best, however, Zach Theatre’s production of Dracula does indeed capture the spirit and excitement of Halloween with its high energy performances, enjoyable scares, and acute attention to scenic detail and atmosphere.
Contributed by Sawyer Stoltz
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Photo credit: Kirk Tuck
Over a century ago, Bram Stoker brought vampire lore to the masses with the publication of Dracula in 1897. Since its debut, the story has gone through over 200 adaptations, been dissected by academics, and parodied innumerable times. The early stage version penned by Hamilton Deane and John Balderson in 1924, along with the iconic 1931 film version starring Bela Lugosi as Dracula, seem to have shaped much of the standards and representations of later adaptations of Dracula, including their deviations from the source text. The roles of the women in Dracula have been swapped throughout various versions - Mina and Lucy deemed interchangeable, reduced to a single composite character, or killed off prior to the start of the production. Though the concept of the early feminists’ New Woman archetype can be seen on the pages of Stoker’s novel, writer and director of ZACH Theatre’s Dracula Steven Dietz takes this a step further by putting Mina at the center of the story, giving her full agency and assigning her plot and motive traditionally associated with the story’s male counterparts.
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Photo credit: Kirk Tuck
ZACH Theatre’s Dracula closely follows Stoker’s original text, with nods to its epistolary format and incorporation of obscure details. In essence, Count Dracula of Transylvania has acquired property in England, and a series of strange events and illnesses begin to plague a group of men and women associated with this real estate transaction gone quite awry. As the stakes are raised and the body count rises, Mina takes the helm in a crusade to thwart Dracula’s sinister attempts of conquest and aim to spread the undead curse. This is, of course, done with the aid of several archaic blood transfusions, hypnosis tactics, and some potent communion wafers. The mentioned letter-form of Stoker’s Dracula is presented in clunky soliloquy, and there are times when the dialogue can feel like a SparkNotes plot summary. The production struggles with its consistency of tone, some directorial choices that don’t make a lot of sense, and a conspicuous trap door that seems to have a mind of its own.
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Photo credit: Kirk Tuck
Though ZACH Theatre’s Dracula has its blunders, this is all made up for with the ensemble’s committed performances and dedication to the story. The women of the cast truly shine with believable conviction, fright, and strength. Audience favorite Charlotte Gulezian is wonderful as Renfield, a demented and tortured patient of Seward’s asylum under the spell of Dracula. Kelli Schulz brings some of the show's scariest moments to life in her portrayal of Lucy. As Mina, Sarah Kimberly Becker holds the audience captive and coveys nuanced motive and subtext that drive some of the greater metaphorical questions the show puts forth.
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Photo credit: Kirk Tuck
Ultimately, ZACH Theatre keeps its promise. Dracula is a surefire formula for holiday revelry. It is camp, it is horror, and it is genuinely fun. Of special note, the lobby is decked out in Victorian goth decor for the occasion, along with Tarot Readers (by Curia Arcanum) and Ghost Story-Tellers (by Austin's original Austin Ghost Tours) providing pre-show entertainment. All in all, Austin may have a new beloved Halloween tradition to look forward to every October.
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DRACULA runs at The Topfer at ZACH Theatre through November 3, 2019.
Find out more here and get tickets!
