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An eclipse, a vampire and thou
Sun, Nov. 9th, 2003 10:06 amLast night, under the waning light of a total lunar eclipse, on the 156th anniversary of Bram Stoker's birth, The Boyfriend and I took in a new theatrical adaptation of Dracula: Jonathan Harker's Journal at Book-It Rep here in Seattle. All of Book-It's scripts are based on literature, they're all original to the troupe, and they all include some bits of the actual narrative (rather than just the dialogue) from the books being adapted. I love this approach, as I think it helps to broaden the theatrical experience for the audience and helps to preserve the author's voice in the telling of the story. (As luck would have it we ended up sitting right next to the playwright, David Quicksall, who was wearing a most convincing set of fangs.) This is theatre for lit geeks, and the performances are always topnotch. Last night was no exception.
Book-It chose, rather than concentrating on the England part of the story, to focus on Jonathan Harker's experiences at Castle Dracula. The production becomes a chronicle of Jonathan's attempts to keep from succumbing to madness as he lives by Dracula's night-owl schedule and encounters the vampire women at the castle. The performances, especially those of Dracula and Harker, were all quite good. Dracula's demeanor, and the slow revelation of his true nature was handled very well. (For me, his malignity was enhanced by the fact that the actor strongly resembled my abusive high school boyfriend, making him that much more sinister.) And the three Brides of Dracula were all just eerie-scary. (The Boyfriend also notes that "they were babes.")
The sets are spare and evocative, from a little hotel room in Pucovina to the Gothic arches of Castle Dracula. Dramatic lighting, excellent make-up and some beautifully creative use of inexpensive piping to double as a coach and a staircase made the minimal sets and simple costumes work to wonderful effect.
The show will be running through November 16, and I recommend to all my Seattle friends to try and see it if you can; it's quite worth the effort.
Book-It chose, rather than concentrating on the England part of the story, to focus on Jonathan Harker's experiences at Castle Dracula. The production becomes a chronicle of Jonathan's attempts to keep from succumbing to madness as he lives by Dracula's night-owl schedule and encounters the vampire women at the castle. The performances, especially those of Dracula and Harker, were all quite good. Dracula's demeanor, and the slow revelation of his true nature was handled very well. (For me, his malignity was enhanced by the fact that the actor strongly resembled my abusive high school boyfriend, making him that much more sinister.) And the three Brides of Dracula were all just eerie-scary. (The Boyfriend also notes that "they were babes.")
The sets are spare and evocative, from a little hotel room in Pucovina to the Gothic arches of Castle Dracula. Dramatic lighting, excellent make-up and some beautifully creative use of inexpensive piping to double as a coach and a staircase made the minimal sets and simple costumes work to wonderful effect.
The show will be running through November 16, and I recommend to all my Seattle friends to try and see it if you can; it's quite worth the effort.
