I really enjoyed the special effects of the play. Despite the small cast and I'm sure limited budget, the use of blood and fog created and eerie and at times truly frightening setting. Renfield's heart being ripped out of his chest by Dracula was impressively believable. The scene could of came off as cheesy and over acted but instead it was executed beautifully.The scenery was excellently used with such limited stage size. The separation of the three platforms to use for narration of the various letters and diary entry and one for the insane asylum maybe the play easy to fallow and fit the book better than any other representation I've seen so far. The use of the trap door was excellent and added a creative element to the small set.
One of the best parts of the play in my mind was the actor who played Renfield. His laugh was perfectly creepy and very disturbing at times. The scene in the book that I found most disturbing was Renfield's rant right before his death and the play's representation of this scene was even more horrifying than I had imagined it when reading the book.
The cast did an amazing job sneaking around by the seats and popping out of unexpected places. The actors really worked to make the audience become part of the production. The blood splatter was an interesting tactic to involve the audience. I came out with some ricochet blood on my leg but i enjoyed the affect and it washed out just fine.
Overall I'd give the play a solid 5 bloody vampire wives out of 5.
Well done Cincy Shakespeare Company
2 comments:
I agree very much; this play was definitely my favorite representation of Dracula that we have seen thus far. The quality of acting was superb, and the choices made by the playwright were, in my mind, perfect. I came to the play fully expecting them to break from the traditional plot, as did the Playhouse version that cycled three years ago, but it was refreshing to see a play that differed from the plot of the novel only slightly.
Perhaps one of the most surprising elements to me, however, was the choice to include blatant sexuality in the play. There are certain points in the novel--such as the "rape" of Lucy and the scene in which Mina drinks the blood from Dracula's chest--that have obvious sexual undertones. These scenes, however, don't necessarily have to be portrayed the way that the playwright and director chose. While I was originally surprised by the PG-13 version we saw, upon the conclusion of the play I had to agree that the choice to make a more "adult" play was a good one. It was done in such a way as to emphasize the sexual undertones of Dracula, but was far from being raunchy.
I also agree. Renfield should get the Creepy Laugh Award of the year for his stellar performance. Dracula was also very effective in portraying a vampire. Whoever picked him for the part chose the right guy for the job. Lucy was also though-provoking for me. She did a great job in playing the rather...questionably moral...woman, but at the same time, I began to pity her by the end.
Over all, it was well worth my Friday evening. Spectacular. Especially the visual effects (aka, smoke, lights, and blood).
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