A new stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula visits Worthing’s Connaught Theatre on March 7th and 8th, which uses a combination of modern performance techniques and Victorian special effects.
Five actor-musicians star in John Ginman’s modern version which mixes straight scenes and choruses with montages and sequences, which are performed using the emerging entertainment styles from the time. The production incorporates influences such as early silent films and the Victorian magic lantern shows which were popular when Bram Stoker wrote the original.
Blackeyed Theatre Company’s Dracula blends gothic and contemporary effects while remaining faithful to the original themes of the novel. The action takes place as Dracula’s vampiric shadow looms over England, where a small group of young men and women, led by Professor Van Helsing, are locked in a battle against a growing evil which only the fittest will survive. The play focuses on the struggle to break taboos and resist temptation while battling against the unknown outside becoming the enemy within.
Director Eliot Giuralarocca says: “I was really keen to draw on the wide range of theatrical forms that were popular at the time and I wanted to put together an ensemble of strong storytellers who are creative and versatile performers. We have all the ingredients to create something exciting, memorable and thought provoking. We’ll give the audiences something that they can really get their teeth into!”
Dracula can be seen at the Connaught Theatre, Union Place, Worthing. BN11 1LG on Friday March 7th and Saturday March 8th at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2.00pm. Tickets, which cost £14.50, concessions £2 off, can be booked through the box office on 01903 206 206 or online at www.worthingtheatres.co.uk