REVIEW: Kym Vaitiekus shares his thoughts on DRACULA

Saturday July 6th 7:30pm 2024, Roslyn Packer Theatre

The Sydney Theatre Company presents the final installment of Kip Williams Gothic Trilogy.

DRACULA follows the critically and commercially successful productions of The Picture Of Dorian Gray and The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde.

DRACULA has an impressive onstage ensemble of crew that bring to light the extraordinary Tour De Force that is Zahra Newman.

Newman performs Bram Stoker's tale with passion, energy, verve and gusto. Her intricate and layered formidable performance is a stand out. Commanding and thoroughly engaging.

It's no mean feat to be the solo performer of a non stop two hour dialogue heavy script but Newman is a mind-blowing powerhouse as she embodies the tale and all of the characters of DRACULA.

Bram Stoker's "Dracula" unfolds through the meticulous journal entries and correspondence of Jonathan Harker, a young English solicitor sent to Transylvania to facilitate Count Dracula's acquisition of property in England. What begins as a routine business trip quickly descends into a harrowing ordeal as Harker realizes the true nature of his client: a centuries-old vampire with a thirst for blood and a desire to spread his curse beyond Transylvania.

After narrowly escaping the castle, Harker returns to England only to find himself embroiled in a web of horror and mystery. His fiancée's friend, Lucy Westenra, falls victim to Dracula's insidious influence, prompting Harker to join forces with Lucy's suitors and the brilliant Professor Abraham Van Helsing. Together, they uncover the depths of Dracula's powers and the extent of his evil intentions. 

Director Kip Williams is the creator of the inventive cine-theatre technique that this trilogy utilizes with finesse. The use of screens on stage is not new but Williams does it with a new and unique eye. The choreography of cast, crew, staging and screens is phenomenal. His work with Newman is also impressive. Each character face their fears and torments and we see this in glorious close ups.

Newman's Count Dracula superbly portrays a man who embodies power and control over others while grappling with loneliness and existential isolation. Her Van Helsing is grounded with a blend of scientific reason and moral courage, who leads the fight against evil with empathy and determination.       Newman's Jonathan Harker undergoes a profound journey from naivety to resilience, shaped by his terrifying encounter with Dracula. Her performance portrays his emotional evolution that reflects his fears, and the unsettling realization of the supernatural clashing his initial belief in rationality and progress.

Designer Marg Horwell and Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper, again show their expertise, creativity and inventiveness with their combined work that ensures the cine-theatre experience is a visual feast and an engrossing experience. 

The work of Composer Clemence Williams and Sound Designer Jessica Dunn almost stole the show for me. It's emotional and auditory landscape was intriguing and perfectly set the contemporary Gothic tone.

Being a cine-theatre trilogy the comparisons are inevitable. For me DORIAN was ground breaking. Top five all time stage experiences. A theatrical feat. 

Where as DRACULA was more cinema than theatre. The first third was akin to yesteryear live television with live editing and we are also privileged to see the backstage production. 

DORIAN had many screens that were used to superb theatrical effect. DRACULA uses one large screen with the crew and Newman moving below and around it. We were mostly watching the screen.

Williams has varied his approach with each of the three installments but this has led DRACULA to be often a paired down version, that is more of a screen experience. The multi moving screens in DORIAN added to the layers of content and performance at hand.

There were some imaginative new techniques and ideas used in DRACULA, the circular room is a vision, the overhead camera creates some clever imagery.

The costume design was superb and especially as the changes were instant and seen on a high resolution screen. But to my surprise some of the audience laughed at inappropriate times as I assume they found the outfits looked like a lampooned version of the characters. I think this is an indication of their blinkered vision when seeing  cross gender performance.

Newman commanded the Van Helsing character which was adorned with a full white lion's mane, a great look but when sprung onto the audience by the live editing it revealed their gut instinct response.

Some of the live editing could have been snappier to support Newman's performance.

But this is another remarkable feat of contemporary theatre. Catch the final installment of this Gothic trilogy and don;t miss Zahra Newman's finely tuned superb performance.

Photography: Daniel Boud

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