Dracula - Sydney Theatre Company (NSW)
Written by Bram Stoker. Adapted and Directed by Kip Williams.
Kip Williams finishes his Victorian trilogy with another tour-de-force production thanks to Zahra Newman. It's a bloody good time.
Reviewed by Justin Clarke
Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company
Until 4th August, 2024
Hot off the success of the West End run of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook, Sydney Theatre Company’s outgoing Artistic Director Kip Williams returns to finish his third instalment of his Victorian texts cine-theatre experience, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
After reaching the dizzying heights of Dorian Gray, Williams’ follow up The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde may not have lived up to the enormous success of Gray, but nonetheless cemented Williams’ ability to pave the way for the cine-theatre form to take shape in the STC space. Thankfully, for Stoker’s Dracula, Williams returns to the blueprint that made Gray extraordinarily captivating, and places the rich gothic horror of Stoker’s text into the more than capable hands of Zahra Newman.
A bare stage scattered with fluorescent markings is dimly lit amidst a large screen that floats ominously in the background. Newman enters, dressed in a simple black singlet and grey cargo pants, and takes her place on the floor as an elongated pole descends attached with a camera which projects Newman onto the screen.
Suddenly, visceral shapes and movements start to break away from the body we see lying on the floor in front of us thanks to Susie Henderson’s video editing. The many bodies twist and writhe, breaking away from the main body and we are thus presented with our first notion that the one physical body on stage is about to inhabit a multitude of forms throughout the two-hour production.
Zahra Newman and camera operator Lucy Parakhina in Sydney Theatre Company’s Dracula , 2024 . Photo: Daniel Boud
Stoker’s text, adapted by Williams, is presented in all its foreboding horror, leaning heavily into the gothic terror that emanates around the mysterious figure of Dracula throughout. The story itself is told through a variety of journal entries from those who witnessed the terrors of the Count as he transports himself from Transylvannia to London in search of satisfying his bloodlust.
At the forefront of the production is a stellar Zahra Newman who gives the performance of the year. The elasticity of her facial expressions projects beyond the stage coming to sheer jaw-dropping reality on the screens on which they’re projected. It’s not a cliche to say that Newman delivers a masterclass in enunciation and projection through her ability to wrap her mouth around the denseness of Stoker’s Victorian text, both physically and metaphorically.
The fantasy trope of the Vampire has been diluted somewhat thanks to romantasy novels such as Twilight and shows such as The Vampire Diaries, so it’s no surprise that the first instance of Dracula’s thick Transylvanian accent and vampiric characteristics receives chortles and giggles from the audience. Once we become accustomed to the gothically dramatic characters from Newman, the giggles turn to uncomfortable shifts in seats as the seductive horror that Newman emanates from Dracula’s on-screen appearances increase.
The design works in every moment to blend the worlds of cinema and theatre into one visceral experience.
The running of a tongue along sharply pointed teeth and the widening of pupils to stare into the soul of the camera quite literally fills the entire space, and we are drawn into the world that Newman creates. This is Dracula’s world, and we’re locked in for the ride.
The spectrum in which Newman inhabits the 23-characters is nothing short of astonishing. From small shifts in British dialect and eye movements, through to large leaps in timbre, pitch and fervour, the choreography through which she shifts is mesmerising.
Nick Schlieper’s lighting design is darkly hued, with hints of blues and whites to symbolise the nightly stalking of Dracula as he toys with his visitors throughout the journey. Marg Horwell’s design too plays with shades of colour throughout to create a cinematic experience on the screens we follow. From the stiff and dryly humoured Jonathan Harker, through to the Dutch arch-nemesis of Dracula, Van Helsing, as well as the seductively amorous Count Dracula himself, Horwell’s costumes give Newman space to bring each character into visceral existence.
Craig Wilkinson’s video design pairs extraordinarily with Clemence William’s composition and Jessica Dunn’s sound design. The two elements share an intimate back and forth throughout, as tensions rise, and locations shift from Transylvannia to Victorian England. The heartbeats that resonate in moments of blood sucking are broken through visceral screams and beatings of bats wings as they transcend beyond the walls of the Roslyn Packer theatre.
Led by Zahra Newman, Williams’ Dracula delivers another jaw-dropping spectacle.
The designs from the creative team are all brought to life through the just as important choreography of the camera operators on stage; the design works in every moment to blend the worlds of cinema and theatre into one visceral experience.
The game-changing use of cine-theatre also has honourable nods towards the Draculas of cinema itself, with an appearance from Newman as the 1922 Nosferatu and the 1931 Dracula made famous by Bela Lugosi.
There is an imbalance between the scales of cinema and theatre at times throughout Dracula. The large single screen demands much of our focus, often drawing our eyes away from the physicality of Newman's exquisite performance. Towards the final moments of the piece however, a tiered cross-like screen comes into play, shaking up the dynamics of the stage before the cine-theatre technique becomes in danger of being stale.
Led by Zahra Newman, Williams’ Dracula delivers another jaw-dropping spectacle. The historic Vampire hasn’t been this deliciously seductive and this much fun in a long time. Much like its namesake, the allure of the Count is hard to kill.
Adapter & Director Kip Williams
Designer Marg Horwell
Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper
Composer Clemence Williams
Sound Designer Jessica Dunn
Video Designer Craig Wilkinson
Assistant Video Director Benjamin Sheen
Video Editor Susie Henderson
Associate Director Ian Michael
Assistant Director Nicole Pingon
With Zahra Newman
Marketing image Rene Vaile
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