BWW Preview: Take a Bite of DRACULA FOR DUMMYS at the Provincetown Theater

Don't you just love a good vampire story? Whether you're a fan of Bram Stoker's story of Harker and crew chasing down the infamous Count or any other of the myriad of stories of bloodsucking beings, vampires are pretty fascinating. Although, think about what would happen if, after eight years of turning his script into a twisted reality, someone decided to open the gates of Castle Dracula to reveal a world within that is actually more lively...even, perhaps, a little more unexpectedly fun?

Feeling it was the right time to bring his creation to the Cape (and P-town of all places...can you imagine how fantastic this is going to be?), director Tristan DiVincenzo brings Dracula for Dummys, his adaptation of the Dracula story, to the Provincetown Theater this October. Whether you think it's perfect for Halloween, really love vampires who rock out to music or just want to be intrigued by a wacky conglomerate of multi-talented actors and musicians, this should be quite the experience.

Vampires have become such an essential part of American culture, even if they are only fictional beings; from one of the first allusion to them in Polidori's The Vampyre to more modern takes on this age-old creature, it is amazing how vampires have become the talk of the town - the town being in movies, the written word and now, in this premiere on Cape Cod. DiVincenzo understands their importance, making reference to the Lugosi's famous film legacy. "I feel like it's a timeless story. Dracula is an icon. I think it's an indelible mark that 1931 film made in our culture. What we're giving [audiences] now is a much younger approach to the Dracula story." After all, DiVincenzo explains how it was his favorite movie growing up, so writing a unique version of a story starring the infamous count in a slightly different "light" already seemed destined to happen.

And now, after four years of attempting to bring his show to the Cape, it is finally happening. "Now it's totally the right time with a great group of people to do it. That's the key, you know."

If you haven't already guessed, this isn't the Dracula you're most likely expecting. The plots consists of a nice mix of horror references, including Stoker's novel, the 1931 film and Nosferatu, not to mention others from plays, cartoons, comic books and fan fiction novels. The inclusion of pop songs to help further the story, males dressed as females and a cast of actors trying to save one of their own and figure out how to stop Count Dracula from terrorizing them in their own theater, makes this intriguing to say the least. "I think that a lot of people will think that they're coming to see one show and what they'll get is a completely different feeling. It's a fun and light show. It's a lot of the novel, which is pretty epic, and so to take that novel and a lot of references and put it into a ninety-minute show with music...and the music is really great. It's your favorite wedding band ever."

Dracula for Dummys brings a lot to the table in terms of how much the actors contribute to this piece in in every which way they can; as was already touched upon, music is a big attribute to this show and making it what it is. The show is fast paced, utilizing every musical and motor skill the actors could possibly bring forth, not to mention the need to always keep up while keeping the humor rolling and blood flowing. "Actors are constantly jumping in and out of the band because there's so much music and we have multi-talented actors, so they'll come and sit down and do a scene at the piano, or there's a tag-team section where an actor leaves the band and then another member swaps back in. And it's seamless the way that it's done. I'm very excited about that."

Starting out with the idea of only four actors playing everyone to having this cast bring something wonderful about, the show has truly grown...and not simply in size. "When we started working on it here in Provincetown, I realized it was almost a selfish thing to just pick four actors to do it. So to be able to spread it out, I was really able to look at the script as a whole and then be able to develop things like movement." And yes - there will be projections, including the haunting image of Lugosi staring down at you for a bit. That always makes things more exciting.

Providing you with an evening of enjoyable frightful humor is Jo Brisbane as Abraham Van Helsing, Scott Cunningham as Mina Murray Harker, Kevin J. Doherty as Captain Swales, Paul Haley as R. M. Renfield, Beau Jackett as Young Dr. Seward, Kevin Quill as Jonathan Harker, Sean Potter as The Count Dracula and Sally Tighe as Lucy Westenra. The Gypsy band includes Rich Kay, Lisa Adamson, Art Brisbane and Alabaster Punchbowl.

Now that audiences are allowed into this world that was years in the making, imaginably everyone is pretty damn excited to see the finished product. And DiVincenzo seems proud of how that finished product has come together in the way it has. With the possibility of taking this production elsewhere in the future, there is much anticipation surrounding what audiences will think of Count Dracula now. "As a director you get to that moment when you see [the show] finally materialize, and the actors are finally starting to click into the reality of the piece. So after that point I was like, this piece works, it's not just a concept anymore. We've proven that the formula can work."

Dracula for Dummys at the Provincetown Theater (located at 238 Bradford St. in Provincetown) begins performances on October 8th and will run thru Halloween night. Tickets are $25 ($20 Senior/Student) and can be purchased by calling the box office at (508) 487.7487 or by visiting www.provincetowntheater.org. Discount rates are available for groups of ten or more.

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