Writers: Gordon Greenberg & Steve Rosen
Director: Gordon Greenberg
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors has sailed over to the UK, sinking its teeth into Menier Chocolate Factory, and this gothic retelling is anything but dusty and traditional.
A prologue sees the company acknowledge the 400-page source material and, quite literally, throw it away in favour of the shorter, sillier, and much sexier version they are about to present. The structure is familiar, particularly for fans of Nosferatu: a Transylvanian vampire is visited by an English solicitor, becomes besotted with the Englishman’s wife, and travels overseas to seduce her. However, while the recent film adaptation was grand, epic and dark, Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors is a delightfully camp romp played out by a small cast of overlapping characters.
From the outset, Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors demonstrates excellent production value, playing out on an aesthetic set design accented by creatively placed light bars. Everything about the show is dramatic, from the sharp spotlights to the high-energy sound design, and the team have not held back on the prop comedy.
As the titular character, and the only Off-Broadway cast member to transfer with the production, James Daly is an absolute standout. He imbues his cool, sexy Dracula with endless charisma, effortlessly navigating the comedy of the piece and seducing the audience with ease.
Dianne Pilkington also impresses throughout and has a strong grasp of the show’s ridiculousness, committing fully to each of her hilariously absurd characters. She earns some of the greatest audience responses of the night with a number of quick changes which range from innovative to downright stupid.
Charlie Stemp and Safeena Ladha fare well as the central couple, finding great moments of humour in their slightly less eccentric characters. There are not, by any means, any sensible or intelligent characters in Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, but Ladha as Lucy is the closest thing to a voice of reason and she does well to milk the gags she is given. Stemp, meanwhile, is endearing as the uptight and cowardly Jonathan, while showing off quick-fire accent work in several supporting roles.
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors is undeniable fun and an excellent evening of entertainment. Just like current West End hit Titanique, this successfully stupid spoof comedy knows its audience well and is certainly worth its transfer from the States. Anyone with a funny bone in their body should grab tickets quick or risk missing out on this laugh-out-loud limited run.
Runs until 3 May 2025
