Ogden-With spooky season upon us, what could be better than experiencing Dracula? Well, I have not had much luck with Dracula on stage, having seen less than stellar musical experiences. However, hearing that there is a new straight play version, adapted from the Bram Stoker novel by Jennifer Westfall, who also serves as the director for the production with Ogden Musical Theatre held at the historic Peery’s Egyptian Theater in downtown Ogden, I decided it was time to give Dracula on stage another shot.
As the show begins, the historic Wuritzer Organ rises from the pit with haunting prop elements added by props master Marilyn Montgomery, and behind the scenes the organ artist Dave Park is piping in the exact spooky organ music one would expect for such an evening. Sound designer Ryan Buckman has pulled out all the stops, and from the music to the animals that haunt the castle and village, one feels immediately transformed to Dracula’s castle in chilling detail. Thanks to the phenomenal set design of Wendall Perry along with the set dressing of Montgomery and Holly Reid and Montgomery’s props, the Castle is so realistic that I found myself truly frightened. What was even more impressive was the transition in the second act to the Westerna home, light and comfortable in contrast, yet using some of the same set pieces from the first act. This can be in part attributed to the impressive lighting design by Daniel Garner, which helped so much with transitioning from light and calm to spooky and dark.
One of the most important elements of this story is the letter writing of Jonathan Harker, played by Brandon Garside, and Dracula, played by Andrew Heyward. The use of projections (designed by Buckman) to convey these letters to the audience was so inventive and immersive. I gasped as the first one covered the walls of the Egyptian Theater, and each subsequent time, with the actors voices reading out the words and certain words being emphasized in the text, I found far more meaning to the story than I had ever had when reading the classic tale.
Heyward as Dracula was as deliciously evil as one might desire. His deep voice was clear and calculating, and his ability to switch from charming to sinister in mere seconds was evidence of stellar acting. As Dracula is a tale of seduction, getting the role of Dracula right is essential. It is seldom that one finds someone strong enough to be believed, however Heyward is up to that task. In fact, the cast only has eleven players, and they all brought to their roles exactly what was needed. Gardside as Jonathan showed the strong determination of one trying desperately to stay sane through torture and madness, while Ryan Bruckman as Renfield was flawless in his depiction as one who has gone mad because of the mistreatment.
Natalie Peterson as Mina and Samantha Wursten as Lucy play well off of each other, and show the themes of innocence stolen in expert fashion. It is in their characters as well that the costume design by Shelly Burkhardt shines. The detailed period fashions are on point, and the way the dresses change to fit the mood are immaculate. Of course, Dracula’s costumes are also exquisite, especially because rather than being only horror inspired, they just have an air of old sophistication, but also some mystery that can lead to fear and uncertainty.
The interpretation of Professor Van Helsing by David Storm and of course the writing and directing of Westfall I found very interesting. In past renditions of Dracula I have always seen and read Van Helsing to be a young strapping hero. Storm plays Van Helsing instead to be a wise professor, which I really found interesting and more plausible. It also made for a more intense battle.
The ending of the show was hopeful and frightening at the same time. I found myself wondering exactly what Stoker meant for the reader to get out of the original novel, which is what good theatre is supposed to make us do. Westfall’s interpretation, according to her bio in the program, has been a project in the making for two years. It is only open for this weekend, and I would say it is a must see for this Halloween season. I have seen nothing like it on the Utah stage. The experience is as close as I can imagine to being in a full gothic horror movie.
Dracula plays through October 20th at 7:30pm with matinees on Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 4pm at the Peery Egyptian Theater, 2415 Washington Blvd, Ogden, Utah 84401. Tickets are $20-28. For more information see https://ogdenmusicaltheatre.org/ .
