Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company’s production of Dracula brought the timeless tale into a modern context to create a compelling and emotionally driven retelling.
Based on the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker and adapted to the stage by William McNulty, Dracula revolves around a mysterious illness that claims the life of Mina Harker. When her dear friend Lucy Westphal begins to experience similar symptoms, Lucy’s fiancé, Dr. Thomas Seward, and Mina’s husband, Jonathan Harker, consult Professor Abraham Van Helsing to piece together the sinister reason behind the illness before it’s too late.
Making her directorial debut, Naomi Badour applied a modern twist to this classic story by playing around with characters’ genders and sexualities. The cast and production team produced an impressive performance to bring a new, modern interpretation to Count Dracula’s paranormal nature, creating an immersive audience experience.
Lindsey Keene flourished in bringing a gender-bent Dracula to life on stage. Keene embodied Dracula’s evil and sinister nature, emboldening the character further with her commanding stage presence and confidence. Keene often turned to the audience and delivered powerful dialogue that sent waves of chills through the crowd.
In the role of Lucy, Hayley Forbes captured her character’s persona and delivered an impeccable performance filled with passion and lively, animated mannerisms. Lucy’s grief over the loss of her friend was palpable and her continuous struggle to break free of Dracula’s spell was expertly delivered. Forbes effortlessly conveyed an independent and intelligent character who wanted to rid herself of illness and resume her life.
There was never a dull moment when it came to the story’s progression. Side characters such as asylum patient Robert Renfield, played by Michael Biason, and asylum attendant Norbert Briggs, played by Lorenz Pizolinas, brought comic relief in the midst of the play’s central themes of gore and horror. These two did nothing but argue, run around and occasionally help the plot move along.
Nuanced subplots of grief, loss and love—romantic and platonic—complimented the play’s more central themes.
Maxim Ferron in the role of Dr. Seward heartbreakingly grieved the loss of his wife and the creature she became while Van Helsing, played by David de Paiva, earnestly and sincerely helped Dr. Seward navigate the loss. As the illness consumes her, Lucy struggles to remain loyal to her fiancé while trying to resist the temptation of Dracula’s draw. The actors brought these complicated dynamics to life onstage, showing how it all comes down to what one is willing to sacrifice.
While some screams seemed awkward at times during the performance, the actors still succeeded in bringing suspense and shivers to the audience as they slowly pieced together who was responsible for the mysterious illness.
Crafted and assembled by the sound team, eerie music heightened the storyline’s constant intensity. Hair-raising sounds of a child’s laughter or distant sounds of harsh waves, combined with the light effects and occasional smoke, made the play truly come to life. The sets were beautifully designed to show the glooming Castle Dracula in the distance and abandoned graveyards, alluding to the production’s paranormal atmosphere.
The costume and makeup teams captured every character’s essence and showed variation between the characters and their roles. Characters such as Margaret Sullivan, played by Martina Peterson, wore a modest maid’s outfit, reflective of the play’s original 19th-century setting. In contrast, Keene’s makeup and costumes depicted her villainous nature with bold red lips and dark eyeliner, as she switched between black and red dresses and corsets underneath a dramatic black cape.
In this creepy performance, the cast and production team of Sock ‘n’ Buskin’s Dracula took audiences along a terrifying journey to experience the true, bone-chilling nature of Dracula’s horrors.
Featured image by Lauren McLaughlin.
