About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2011)
\ ■ 1 rbyCOCT.15 ACTION PACKED. WWW. IflSSIC ITY OLIER IRLS.COM THERE WILL BE BLOOD The immortal story of Dracula has survived over a century of retellings—passed down from generation to generation as a chilling tale of a bloodthirsty killer—and eventually has become an integral part of modern pop cul ture. Now kicking off Town & Gown's recently announced series of productions, Dracula will be resurrected once again, at no better time than during the spookiest season of the year. Director W. Steven Carroll, who in the past has produced the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog, is no stranger to the maca bre. After settling on writer Steven Dietz's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula—which in Carroll’s opinion stays true to the struc ture of the original novel the best of the many versions he has read—several creative elements were added to enhance the overall fright factor of the play. "This production isn't the sitting room mystery drama that you most likely have seen if you've caught Dracula onstage before. The characters are sexy, the effects bom bastic. and the action violent. There is copi ous blood and not a little flesh showing," Carroll warns. Spoiler alert: you'll be seeing three vixens in fishnets devour a baby in a bloodthirsty frenzy, as well as a brief moment of vamp-on-vamp action if you're lucky. Despite the varying personas of Dracula that have surfaced in films, books and other media over the decades, from folkloric legend to blood-lusting teenage heartthrob, the count in this version was envisioned as embodying the raw mercilessness of his original form. "We wanted our titular character rc much more reflect the unsympathetic character Stoker created than the Bytonic romantic . figure that's been popularized over the years. Dracula is a visceral, feral, unrelenting force of nature in the novel, and we took that as a blueprint for how we wanted to portray the character," explains Carroll. Count Dracula, although behaving humanly manipulative and a shade seductive at times, ib at root tittle more than a supernatural, animalistic hunter. Undeniably, each actor successfully executes his or her character's anticipated personality and quirks, using the original novel as the ultimate guide for production. "We returned to it repeatedly when we were in doubt about how to play a scene or needing inspiration to bring the characters to life," says Carroll. As the story goes, loyal and determined Mina (Celeste Josephine) must unravel the secrpts behind the mysterious disappearance and cryptic journal of her fiance Jonathan Harker (UGA Theatre & Film Studies doctoral student Josh Jeffries) as her best friend, play ful and highly pursued Lucy (Emily Myers), falls suddenly ill. With the help of the wise and knowledgeable Professor Van Helsing {Flagpole's own Theatre Notes writer, John Nettles) and Lucy's faithful suitor Seward (Adam Shirley), Mina attempts to piece together a series of strange occurrences, including surreal night terrors, a deadly shipwreck and the ravings of Renfield (Joel Altherr): a crazed patient who snacks on insects and small animals to absorb their life force, in order to defeat the grim plans of cruel Count Dracula (Tracy Carroll). The stage is divided into three primary set tings: Lucy's lush crimson-and-gold bedroom, Dracula's dismal and dusty stone castle and Renfield's asylum room decorated with dis turbing drawings. This design allows events to flash seamlessly back and forth among locations, often in rapid-fire succession at the peaks of unfolding action. The costumes' palette of earth tones in olive, brown, tan and black reinforces the moroseness of Gothic Neo-Victorian fashion. Subtle industrial details, such as the asylum attendants' brass-colored goggles, Dracula's long black trench coat and the three rows of buckles fastened to Van Helsing's sleeves, lend themselves to a steampunk-inspired flair. "We recall the Victorian aesthetic in the design but add modern or science-fiction twists here and there because it fits the feel of the sho* and, frankly, because it looks cool," says Carroll. Many of the changes in mood throughout the play are created by Dracula's three vixens, who can be heard from backstage discordantly chanting during moments of suspense, eerily purring when blood is spilled and laugh ing maniacally when evil appears to prevail. Stylistically, this allows for immediate custom ization of the set's soundscape. Apart from the vixens, the music is sparse and predominantly atmospheric, allowing for the audience's full attention to be centered on the actors' com pelling deliveries. Dracula will be performed at the Athens Community .Theatre on Oct. 13-15 at 8.p.m. and Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. A special midnight showing will be held on Friday, Oct. 14, and attendees are invited to dress for the occa sion at all performances. The theatre, housing fewer than 10 rows of newly installed seats, has an intimate atmosphere, and virtually every detail onstage can be seen from any spot in the audience. Tickets can be purchased by calling 706-208-T0WN (8696) and are S12 for students and senior citizens and S15 for general admission. Jessica Smith 10 FLAGPOLE.COM OCTOBER 12. 2011
