Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors: A Bloody Good Twist on a Classic
Written by Ronak Yazdi Moghaddam and Molly Yu
Credit for all photos: Emelia Hellman
On October 23rd, The Segal Centre, the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough’s leading performing arts theatre, began its 2022-2023 season with Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors. Written by Steven Rosen and Gordon Greenberg (who also directs), the lightning-fast play fuses classic horror fiction with comedy and humour to create a delicious new interpretation of Bram Stoker’s most renowned novel.
Although Dracula’s story has been adapted more times than the Count celebrated his birthday, this play manages to bring a fresh new look at one of the world’s first vampire narratives– and this is no small feat. The actors themselves tell you from the very beginning that their objective is to squeeze Stoker’s 400 paged gothic tale into a 90-minute lighthearted satirical play and they do so triumphantly.
Indeed, the show follows the novel as closely as possible, telling the story of the English lawyer Jonathan Harker’s visit to a mysterious and feared Transylvanian Count by the name of Dracula. However, as time goes on and the Count arrives in England, a motley crew constituted of a reluctant Harker, his fiancée Lucy, her sister Mina, their father Dr. Westfeldt, and the vampire hunter Van Helsing is slowly formed to hilariously chase the dangerous Count all over the English countryside and save the local population.
The narrative that unfolds, with Greenberg and Rosens’ tight and fast-paced script, is captivating, especially for our time. Indeed, the play satirizes the novel by poking fun at how seriously it took itself, making it self-aware and extra melodramatic.
There are moments where the story is modernized, with callouts to the Victorian’s strict gender roles since the character of Dr. Van Helsing is changed to a woman, and modern pop culture references can be heard from jokes about Margaret Thatcher to “I love Lucy” being screamed by Dracula himself. The portrayal of Dracula (played expertly by James Daly who had audience members literally screaming) also helps modernize the tale since the character is turned into a leather-donning, six-pack-having, bi-curious, and melodramatic aristocrat while remaining true to the essence of the character.
The themes that can be encountered feel appropriate for the post-pandemic time we are in as well, as the show explores the notion of time and its value, plus the importance of enjoying life in the present and facing our mortality, especially because you never know if a monster is lurking nearby.
Through the depiction of the wimpish Harker, played by Colin Simmons, and his relationship with his disappointed partner Lucy, portrayed by Naomi Ngebulana, the comedy also examines the significance of breaking away from our fears. It galvanizes us to stand brave and show up for the people we love, seeing as these are the things that make our lives worth living, particularly if we do not wish to have regrets.
These messages, although not always subtle, are bound to tug at the audience’s heartstrings, all while making them laugh with the brilliant 5-actor cast that constantly changes in front of their eyes. Indeed, everyone, besides Daly, portrays multiple characters with rapid costume changes, different dialects, and gender. The intricacies of these different characters are where the cast truly shines, particularly Ellen David who plays four completely different people, from the insect-enthusiast asylum patient Renfield to the respected Dr. Westfeldt. The dexterous but self-aware manner with which she portrays them instantly made her an audience favourite alongside David Noêl who appears as the desperate Mina and the serious brainiac Van Helsing.
The costumes, consequently, greatly help in these illusions, making the character changes effective and overall fitting with the modern but Victorian aesthetic of the play (mixing bright and glittering colours, plus leather, with classical styles). The sets are also widely immersive with nifty stage illusions for comedic purposes, along with fast changes since the play depicts scenes on boats and the Romanian and English countryside among others. The intimate setting of the Segal is always wonderful and enveloping as well since you are engulfed in the small Sylvan Adams Theatre.
All things considered, we really enjoyed our time at Dracula, from its self-aware silliness to its more powerful statements on love and life being triumphant over all else. The show delivered on its promise of staying true to Stoker’s terrifying story all while seeing the humour in it. There are some moments where the slapstick aspects can grow old, but then you are reeled back in with a new and exciting event or character.
Thus, the show delivers and leaves you feeling as Stoker famously said, “..the world seems full of good men–even if there are monsters in it”.
Dracula, Comedy of Terrors will be playing at Segal Centre from October 23 until November 13, 2022.
