Open Stage vants you to attend Count Dracula’s open house at his creepy castle.
But don’t be scared off by the dimly lit, cobwebbed corners, brocaded wallpaper and creaky doors. There are scads of impromptu dance parties, actors randomly throwing sparkly confetti, and Count Dracula baked a gluten-free, cruelty-free, vegan cake… That one’s for his realtor. He also baked a cake that tastes good, just to velcome you.
Mixing campy comedy, gothic horror, slapstick farce, sexual overtones, and a bag of A-positive platelets from the snack bar, director Stuart Landon brings us a silly twist on Bram Stoker’s already twisted tale, reminiscent of Mel Brooks’ Frankenstein (“Franken-schteen”) and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Count Dracula (Brad Barkdoll) and his realtor Jonathan Harker (Isaac Austin) set the scene at Dracula’s London castle location, location, location. The setting itself becomes a main character, with its spooky crimson lighting (Tristan Stasiulis) penetrating the canned mist, and the strains of world music I’m certain I hear in my weekly Zumba class. Although I give the mirror at my gym the clumsiest salsa dance ever witnessed, the players’ onstage dances are much more watchable (Aréanna Hope Kroll, choreographer). They’re meant to be silly, and they’re easy enough that you could try them out during your own living room dance parties.
Barkdoll plays his Dracula with an over-the-top brand of sultry, pumping his cautious-but-clueless realtor for information about his adventurous fiancé, Lucy (Jasmine Graham.) Later, at the couple’s engagement party, the dynamic between Austin and Graham feels initially strained and unromantic. Enter the leather-bound, sexually charged Barkdoll flashing into the party during a well-placed thunder clap, carrying his cake plate. Dracula is thirsty for blood spritzers, and it’s Lucy’s neck he wants as his party punch cup.
At that same party, we meet Lucy’s father, Dr. Westfeldt (Joellen Terranova), who runs a mental asylum in his house, and his straight-jacketed patient Renfield (also Terranova). This double-casting and constant quick-changing earns Terranova admiration as they skillfully play both characters in many of the same scenes, all ridiculously and riotously constructed.
We also meet Westfeldt’s other, less favorite daughter, the flighty Mina (Anthony M.C. Leukus), who tries too hard to attract the same level of attention as her sister, Lucy. When Mina falls ill after a snog-sesh with Count Dracula, Dr. Van Helsing (also Leukus) pays her a house call. As lightly as Leukus plays Mina, he presents Dr. Van Helsing with more gravity. Although Dr. Van Helsing is a caricature of a German housefrau, (and I think I recognize the costume from “The Sound of Music,”) Leukus’s character interpretation gives credence to being a female doctor in 1897.
The otherwise lighthearted storyline is easy to follow, peppered with running gags, humorous sound effects (Anthony Pieruccini, sound design consultant; Victoria Deiorio, sound designer), and Freudian sips – I mean, slips. Hilarious Easter (and Halloween) eggs abound everywhere, with any bloopers blending seamlessly as part of the slapstick. Also, in a surprising character development, Austin cocoons the boy-like, weakling Harker, eventually emerging him as a fully-fledged badass, as evidenced by his well-hung costume (costumes by Jacob Schlenker and Rachel Landon).
You can pick up Dracula swag.
If you attend Dracula’s open house, with or without your favorite realtor, there are warnings for younger and more sensitive viewers. This comical show is worth attending more than once, drinking in its various viewpoints. If you’re looking for different character renditions and maybe even an alternative blooper reel, there is a special show on Oct. 8 featuring understudies Kroll and Luke Rider. And you won’t want to miss the post-performance discussion on Oct. 19. If you do return for a second or third helping, please be sure to return the cake plate.
P.S. If you stop by Open Stage’s bar, check out Dracula’s rhinestone-studded swag, and bite into your very own plastic fangs.
Open Stage’s “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” runs October 4 through November 1. For more information and ticket sales, visit their website at https://www.openstagehbg.com/shows/dracula.
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