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As my friend and I emerged from "Dracula," which just opened at Pioneer Theatre Company, the first thing we saw was the full moon riding high in the eastern sky. All we needed was the sound of howling wolves to complete the effect and keep us looking over our shoulders on the way to the car.
Pioneer's production of Charles Morey's adaptation of Bram Stoker's gothic novel is so atmospheric and all-enveloping that it blurs the boundaries between its reality and our own. The first reason is the physical world it creates. Giant, jagged stone columns dominate Peter Harrison's graveyard set. A large moon rises slowly on the backdrop and turns blood red at climactic moments. Kendall Smith's lighting is blue and dim, isolating the actors in golden pools as if they are fighting to hold back the darkness. Matthew Tibbs' sound design teems with howling wolves, screeching bats, murmuring, disembodied voices and throbbing heartbeats. Cody Curtis' video projections fly at you unexpectedly. James Prigmore's music is ominous and eerie. The fashionable suits and dresses of Carol Wells-Day's costumes transport us to Victorian England, a buttoned-up world intent on repressing any sign of sexuality.
The second reason is the fluidity of Morey's writing and direction. This is his most accomplished adaptation to date. The story relies heavily on journals and letters narrated by a chorus of voices to bridge us in and out of scenes. The effect is simultaneously literary and dramatic, and the variety of voices provides different perspectives and propels the plot. Some scenes, like Lucy's exorcism at the end of Act I, are orchestrated to build to a dramatic crescendo.
Morey has also hooked into the primal elements that make stories of vampires perennially popular: the clash between good and evil to control human souls, the desire for immortality and power over others, and particularly the struggle in each individual between spirituality and sensuality. As Van Helsing puts it, "To face the Nosferatu is to face a great test for your soul." All the vampire attacks cross gender lines, and Morey has staged them like seductions, especially Dracula's attack on Mina, where he intones, "Flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood" like a perverted marriage ceremony.
The cast is uniformly excellent. Bob Ari balances authority and compassion as the fatherly Van Helsing, and Christopher Kelly is an impassioned and tormented Harker. John-Michael Marrs' earnest, devoted Arthur nicely counterpoints Craig Wroe's pragmatic, conscientious Dr. Seward. Allison McLemore's balanced, courageous Mina is an effective contrast to Stephanie Fieger's flighty, conflicted Lucy. McLemore is especially good in the hypnosis scenes, where she channels Dracula's voice.
Mark Boyett's Renfield seethes with manic energy as he deftly juggles loyalty and longing. As Dracula, Mark Elliot Wilson is a study in sinister charm; like a smoldering volcano, he erupts suddenly into malevolent rage. His brides — Natalie Blackman, Katie Driscoll and Tracie Merrill — prowl the stage like witches escaped from "Macbeth." Glynis Bell is sweet and well-intentioned as Lucy's mother.
The story of Dracula is so archetypal that it will probably never stop speaking to audiences. Pioneer Theatre Company's production dramatically demonstrates why.
Review
R Pioneer Theatre Company's high-energy production of "Dracula" proves why this gothic classic, like its vampire protagonist, will never die.
When • Reviewed Friday, continues Mondays through Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Nov. 6, with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m on Oct. 30 and 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 6
Where • Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East, University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $24 to $42, with discounts for students and groups; grades K–12 are half-price on Mondays and Tuesdays. Call 581-6961 or visit http://www.pioneertheatre.org for tickets and information.
Running time • Two and a half hours (including an intermission)