I’m one of those people who becomes astutely aware of their surroundings whenever a show (or a movie) gets ‘scary’. I don’t have to try very hard at all to achieve this response, it just happens. And so it was when Mina (Umi Myers) reveals her ‘true’ identity (no, not Dracula) and what she is capable of, a proverbial lightbulb went off in my mind, and my train of thought immediately raced to conclude that evil forces aren’t coming for me (unless, of course, one counts Parliament as an ‘evil force’, but they seem to be coming for most people rather than just me), and I’m sat in a theatre in Hammersmith. If I were to leave at that point, there would be no readmittance (the audience was advised of this upon entry), which would be problematic as I wouldn’t be able to review the production in its entirety, but ultimately, I would be fine. There is a miniscule possibility that I might be the victim of a road traffic collision, but then there always is, and one could not reasonably blame the production for that.
Rather than overdoing it with attempts to frighten the audience, however, this stage show goes for a psychological angle, exploring the role of fear in a person’s life and how it can lead to irrational conduct, whether or not Dracula (as ever, a vampire) – tellingly, not a named character in the cast list – can be said to have influenced or even controlled people’s wills or the circumstances in which people find themselves in. It is, in parts, a little ‘talky’, to the point where the pace of the show felt slower than it could have been. A feminist streak runs through the narrative, on display at its strongest with Mina totally dominates her fiancé Jonathan (Jack Myers). Control the mind, and the body follows – and so there’s minimal amounts of fake blood in this version of the famous story, even when the plot calls for blood transfusions.
The production does well to not be overly reliant on the epistolary nature of the source material – Mina, as narrator, has committed her story to memory. She reads out precisely nothing, directly addressing the audience, with eye contact, and most of all, with conviction. There’s enough dramatization to prevent the show being overrun by the “…and then, and then, and then” style of storytelling – satirised so well in the 2000 motion picture Dude, Where’s My Car?. The play suggests there are reasons why so much evil persists in the world, and in doing so, by extension subtly asserts, without saying so in so many words, that death by war or assassination doesn’t eliminate the deceased’s ideology: killing the body does not kill the spirit.
There’s much that can be drawn out from this version of the story (besides blood, that is), particularly the power of words to influence, persuade and manipulate. The wider implications are vast, whether it’s someone trying to win over investors on Dragon’s Den or a date that could, given the right words, blossom into a relationship. It is more reflective than outrightly fear-inducing – a sense of fear creeps in the more one thinks about it. So best not to think too much about it, if you can resist. A unique and intelligent production.
Review by Chris Omaweng
“Beware the teller as much as the tale”
Awakened by the unimaginable horrors she’s witnessed, Mina Harker demands your attention. You’d be wise to listen close.
The only survivor of the tragic events chronicled in the famous letters, Mina is here to recount her version of Dracula’s journey from Transylvania to London. Alongside trusted allies, and in memory of her beloved friend Lucy, they scramble to piece together the truth of his monstrous desires. But is their performance merely a warning – or does it have the power to conjure the dead?
CAST
Mei Mac (she/her) – Lucy
Jack Myers (he/him) – Jonathan
Umi Myers (she/her) – Mina
Phoebe Naughton (she/her) – Van Helsing/Ensemble
Macy Seelochan (she/her) – Elise/Ensemble
B Terry (they/them) – Renfield/Ensemble
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer – Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Based on the novel by Bram Stoker
Director – Emma Baggott
Set and Costume Designer – Grace Smart
Lighting Designer – Josie Harriette
Composer and Sound Designer – Adam Cork
Movement Director – Chii-San Howard
Assistant Movement Director – Ana Diego Iversen
Illusion Design by John Bulleid and Gareth Kalyan
Fight and Intimacy Director – Bethan Clark
Casting Director – Heather Basten CDG
Voice Coach – Annemette Verspeak
Assistant Director – Grainne Flynn
Casting Assistant – Joyce Lulendo
DRACULA
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
11 September to 11 October 2025
