A tremendous beginning saw strobe lighting break the pitch darkness, while perfectly choreographed acting and dancing stoked the horror on cue and a terrifying soundtrack boomed in the background. The beginning marked everything good that was to come from director Eduard Lewis’ show. It started with a bang and barely let up from there.
The adaptation stayed largely true to the novel, with some scenes set in hindsight and others embellished, and with a script as strong as they had, it’s hard to go wrong.
The scenery too was sensational. Welcoming home turned into haunted castle turned into city street in no time at all. It really was quite miraculous and added a lot to the production.
Andrew Horton’s Jonathan Harker was the star of the show as far as the casting went, looking brave, frightened, composed or shell-shocked as required. Evan Milton was also notable as Doctor Seward and Olivia Swann’s Mina Murray was compelling throughout.
Glen Fox’s Count Dracula was daunting and cut a formidable figure, but the accent felt a little overly stereotypically Eastern European, as was the case with Philip Bretherton’s crazy professor Van Helsing, bringing an almost parodying feel to certain scenes.