The Citizen, 1995-12-13, Page 23At the Grand
Stephen Russell and Krita Jackson star in Dracula, by
Bram Stoker. This new adaptation by Michael Shamata
and Paula Wing, is on stage now at London's Grand.
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1995. PAGE 23.
E ntertainment
Theatre Review
I Grand's 'Dracula weak
I
I
By Jason Gropp
It is indeed unfortunate when so
much work and effort are put into a
production that does not live up to
that work and effort. While the
Grand Theatre's production of
Dracula has a number of stellar
qualities, they are unfortunately
overshadowed by its conspicuous
weaknesses.
It comes as a surprise to fmd out
that Dracula has been virtually
absent from live theatre since its
first publication in 1897. It presents
a number of challenges to theatrical
production teams that should
appeal to any ambitious creators.
The Grand Theatre's production
does meet and conquer some of
these challenges. Set designs were
both grim and beautiful. The
sliding screens of the asylum
softened the dark these places can
take. It made the institution look
like a place of healing, instead of a
place of punishment.
Set changes were smooth and
swift. Backdrops were lifted and
lowered from above, while floor
pieces were mechanically slid from
one side of the stage to another.
This saved the audience from
having to deal with various people
shuffling around the stage moving
props between scenes. These
transitions were accompanied by
recorded diary messages and
narrative which helped blur
switches from scene to scene.
Often, these narratives led right
into the next scene, as the recording
was carried into live speech. These
gave a very smooth flow to the
production, and was one of its
greatest strengths.
The impact of these strong
qualities is somewhat diminished,
however, by problems related to
character development. Several
characters had inconsistencies in
their personalities, which hampered
their effectiveness. The character of
Mina Harker portrayed by Krista
Jackson, illustrates this quite
effectively. In the first half of the
play, she was not built up as
someone who could even try to
effectively deal with the problems a
vampire could pose. Her early
conversations with Lucy Westenra
hinted at a very sheltered life,
complete with very teenage-
sounding girl-talk and Mary
Poppins umbrellas. This early
direction in her character
development makes her later inner
strength hard to believe.
Ultimately, though, the play's
impact hinges on Dracula's
presentation. Unfortunately,
Stephen Russell, who plays the
Count was plagued by these same
problems. Like Mina Harker,
Dracula is hurt by his early
development. In his conversations
with Jonathan Harker, Dracula
gives an air of instability. While
this may be understandable, given
his urgent need to leave
Transylvania in search of new
victims, it works against his
intimidation. This intimidation is
vital to Dracula's development. Bel
Lugosi, who is known as the
consummate Dracula, was
criticized for lacking intimidation.
In order to create this fear, Dracula
must appear in complete control.
However, he does not.
In his conversations with Harker,
the Count fell victim to a number
of almost violent verbal outbursts.
Given this lack of composure, his
future manipulation of several
characters, particularly Mina, and
his ability to keep his pursuers on
the run is unconvincing. These
weaknesses culminated in the final
climactic scene. During this scene,
which resulted in the death of
Dracula and should have been quite
serious, members of the opening
night audience were laughing.
The only characters who seemed
very strong were Renfield, played
by Robert Benson and Dr.
Seweard, played by Oliver Dennis.
Unlike some of the other
characters, these two were not
forced to develop two different
characters within themselves. Thus,
they created a niche for themselves
that others were unable to establish.
Renfield was insane to the end, but
showed a brilliance that made the
audience question this assessment.
Dr. Seward was insecure and
nervous at the beginning of the
play, and still was at the end.
In many ways, the Grand
Theatre's production of "Dracula"
was spectacular. However, in
forcing characters to be more than
one whole person within
themselves, these qualities
unfortunately fade away.
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