REVIEW
Dracula A Comedy Of Terrors
Menier Chocolate Factory (studio)
Gordon Greenberg (director)
90 mins (length)
21 March 2025 (released)
21 March 2025
Bram Stoker wouldn’t be so much turning in his grave, more rolling around laughing. Writers Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen have taken the main essence of the gothic novel and given it a good old shake. What they have created is 90 minutes of blood and gorgeousness, and it’s a real treat.
I don’t think a single blood joke was missed and the innuendos come thick and fast. And fast and furious is the tempo of this production, that leaves the audience breathless. And Gordon Greenberg’s direction squeezes every element of fun out of his own script.
This Dracula bestrides the stage in tight leather trousers and with a sleek muscle-bound torso that leaves not hope for any possible suitor/victim that he fancies a nibble at. James Daly plays him with such total abandon and his flexibility, when coupling with his victims, means he literally bends over backwards. His Canadian/Transylvanian accent also works it’s magic and some of his pronunciation adds much to the humour.
Safeena Ladha as his love interest Lucy is a delight as she discovers what a real man/vampire can do for your libido. Charlie Stemp makes for a wonderful cowardly Jonathan Harker, Lucy’s fiancé, embued with nervousness right down to his fingertips, and his transformation to real man, once bitten, he relishes with hip thrusting joy.
Adding much to the fun is Sebastien Torkia as Mina, Lucy’s sexually frustrated sister, who works an auburn curled wig like it’s a further character. Then as Jean Van Helsing a ‘shock horror’ female doctor’ is Germanic, forthright and bustily brilliant.
The actor with the most work is Diane Pilkington played Lucy’s father Dr Westfield a bumbling, comb-over, pompous figure who is in total contrast to Renfield the bug eating manic servant. The switches between these two characters are so quick they amaze.
The staging by Tijana Bjelajac is quirky and facilitates the action well and with Ben Cracknell’s lighting, switches from gothic to rock adding much to the heightened camp of the evening.
Pardoning the extra blood puns, this is A positive joy and there B minus things to say except O what a universal tongue-in-bloodied-cheek hit.
Photo credit: Matt Crockett
I don’t think a single blood joke was missed and the innuendos come thick and fast. And fast and furious is the tempo of this production, that leaves the audience breathless. And Gordon Greenberg’s direction squeezes every element of fun out of his own script.
This Dracula bestrides the stage in tight leather trousers and with a sleek muscle-bound torso that leaves not hope for any possible suitor/victim that he fancies a nibble at. James Daly plays him with such total abandon and his flexibility, when coupling with his victims, means he literally bends over backwards. His Canadian/Transylvanian accent also works it’s magic and some of his pronunciation adds much to the humour.
Safeena Ladha as his love interest Lucy is a delight as she discovers what a real man/vampire can do for your libido. Charlie Stemp makes for a wonderful cowardly Jonathan Harker, Lucy’s fiancé, embued with nervousness right down to his fingertips, and his transformation to real man, once bitten, he relishes with hip thrusting joy.
Adding much to the fun is Sebastien Torkia as Mina, Lucy’s sexually frustrated sister, who works an auburn curled wig like it’s a further character. Then as Jean Van Helsing a ‘shock horror’ female doctor’ is Germanic, forthright and bustily brilliant.
The actor with the most work is Diane Pilkington played Lucy’s father Dr Westfield a bumbling, comb-over, pompous figure who is in total contrast to Renfield the bug eating manic servant. The switches between these two characters are so quick they amaze.
The staging by Tijana Bjelajac is quirky and facilitates the action well and with Ben Cracknell’s lighting, switches from gothic to rock adding much to the heightened camp of the evening.
Pardoning the extra blood puns, this is A positive joy and there B minus things to say except O what a universal tongue-in-bloodied-cheek hit.
Photo credit: Matt Crockett
