Billed as a multi-sensory experience to shock and scare, Bram Stoker’s Dracula didn’t disappoint. Both the first and second act started with a bang, quite literally, and no actual warning. I was trying to catch the atmosphere on stage with my camera (according to the couple next to me, it was an eerily accurate representation of Whitby at night with the pillars and lighting and fog) when it began, and I definitely let out an expletive and near enough dropped my phone because it made me jump so much.
Has been commented by a peer that the acting was somewhat amateur, but I wouldn’t say I noticed. Cheryl Campbell playing Lady Renfield was delightfully dramatic as the haunted servant of the blood thirsty count. Jessica Webber played Lucy, the wayward young spinster who is the victim to be. Feisty and seductive. She had me thinking of character such as Regan from The Exorcist, and Sigourney Weaver’s Dana in Ghostbusters. I enjoyed all of the characters, though, and never found myself switching off.
There were two main settings, a bedroom, and an (for want of a better phrase) insane asylum, which were seamlessly transitioned between. This kept the flow of the performance meaning you were always on edge.
You can expect lots of fake smoke, lighting effects, characters disappearing into thin air, and a few laughs. Also blood…attention to detail, there. It can be a little bit raunchy at times, and genuinely quite tense, so not one for a younger audience. It’s one of the most enjoyable performances I’ve see for a long time, and definitely a must to get you in the mood in the run up to Halloween.
For upcoming shows at Nottingham Theatre Royal please visit www.trch.co.uk
Review by Johnny Banks
