CARMILLA Returning to Los Angeles for Halloween

Over the years, there have been several interpretations of Irish writer Sheridan LaFanu's 1872 controversial masterpiece Carmilla, from literature to TV to film to stage. But playwright David MacDowell Blue proudly boasts that his theatrical interpretation offers something that sets it apart.

"Folks may disagree, but I'd call mine the most faithful to the source material," he said. This, despite the fact that his version features the unique and poignant twist of setting the classic lesbian vampire story in Europe at the end of World War II. "While I've changed major details, I've striven to recreate the novella that LaFanu wrote, especially in terms of emotional impact."

His devotion to the original tale has paid off, leading to a critically acclaimed world premiere in L.A. in 2014, followed by an award-winning production in New York. Now, Blue's Carmilla returns for a run at the Lyric-Hyperion Theatre & Café in Silver Lake on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 16-Nov. 8 with a possible extension.

This Carmilla begins as World War II ends, and Nazi atrocities are coming to light. A British officer interrogates a young Austrian woman named Laura Fontaine, deciding whether to let her leave for England, her father's family home, or imprison her as a collaborator. As she is held, Laura shares her story. Seven years earlier, as the Third Reich is absorbing Austria, Laura and her family witness a terrible auto accident. A young woman named Carmilla is injured and they take her in. Soon, she and Laura fall in love. But the region's dark past and the long arm of the SS are already reaching into their secluded Alpine garden. Plus, Carmilla holds a mystery of her own.

Blue says it's not just the setting that makes his Carmilla different. "This is Laura's story," he said. "Previous versions nearly always give Laura a male romantic love interest who in the end 'saves' her from the vampire. Along the way, she seems to lose all trace of personality. My version does not treat her as a doll. Rather, she's a sheltered young woman confronted with extraordinary events, including her first (and very unconditional) love."

Carmilla is being co-directed by Blue and theatre veteran Mark Hein, who is also producing. It is the third production of Actaeon Players, who last mounted the premiere ofAmelia's Going Down at the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The production team is thrilled to bring this show back in time for the Halloween season. In fact, on Saturday, Oct. 31, the Lyric-Hyperion will be transformed for CARMILLA-FEST, a celebration of this revolutionary story. With the play as the centerpiece, physical displays, video feeds and music will showcase the tale's shifting shapes--from its creation as a novella, through plays and films to its most recent offspring as a hit web series.

To post a comment, you must register and login.