Dracula, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow

Writer: Bram Stoker

Adaptation: Nick Lane

Director: Nick Lane

Blackeyed Theatre are masters in the adaptation of classic texts for the stage. This time it’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula that’s under the spotlight.

It’s a hefty two and a half hours long so little is missed in the telling of the tale. Writer Nick Lane has stuck closely to the original source but with some laudable nods to modern sensibilities with deftly written commentaries on both the privileges of Victorian society and its attitude to women, both are seamlessly woven into the script. Certain roles are gender reversed with no change to the source material’s meaning or impact, if anything, the change of Renfield to female is more unsettling and the strong female asylum doctor, a welcome change. Interesting too is the device of multiple actors playing the Count, on paper it may seem an unwise choice, in reality it allows for multiple smooth scene changes that add to the cohesion of the storytelling.

The cast of six are sure-handed throughout and deal with grace and professionalism when an incident in the auditorium disrupts the performance. Atmosphere is provided by Victoria Spearing’s multi-level set and Tristan Parkes’ sweeping soundtrack and movement director Enric Ortuno’s slow-motion staking scene is particularly well-handled.

One criticism is the use of multi-narration of a single character’s story. We switch from male to female and female to male during the ‘letter’ sequences, it does nothing to drive the story, rather it adds a level of unnecessary confusion.

Very much a traditional telling of the tale, it is clearly and coherently told and no less entertaining for that.

Continues to tour the UK | Image: Contributed