Dracula

Plymouth Arts Center Theatre Company is presenting “Dracula,” an original drama by Steven Dietz, this October at the Plymouth Arts Center. Mysterious, gloomy castles and open graves at midnight are just two of the Gothic devices used to chilling effect in this 19th-century horror classic that turned an obscure figure from Eastern European folklore into a towering icon of film and literature. This show is recommended for adults only. The Cast includes: Chris Fontaine, Jardin Fontaine, Randy Stache, Bob Deyo, Renee Wachuta, Tehya Wachuta, Lorraine Selinski, Dana Selinski, Vanessa Ceilley, Dan Mahlendorf, Kerrylynn Kraemer, (Director,) and Patrick Schirmer. Kent Radloff is the Assistant Director. The Technical Director is Bill Johnston. This show is produced under a license agreement with Dramatists Play Service, New York, New York.

This new adaptation by Steven Dietz, published in 1996, restores the suspense and seduction of Bram Stoker’s classic novel to the stage. As Count Dracula begins to exert his will upon the residents of London, they try to piece together the clues of his appearances—in a valiant attempt to save themselves from a hideous fate. Rich with both humor and horror, this play paints a wickedly theatrical picture of Stoker’s famous vampire.

The Story: Best Friends, Mina and Lucy share secrets about their love lives. Lucy reveals that she has not one but three offers of marriage. Mina recounts letters of her stalwart fiancé, Jonathan Harker, as he travels to Transylvania to assist a mysterious client who enjoys wearing capes. But handsome young gentlemen are not the only ones in pursuit of Mina and Lucy. A sinister presence haunts Lucy’s dreams; something is approaching. She dumps her suitor Dr. Seward with the old “let’s just be friends” line. So Seward tries to cheer himself up by focusing on his career. Unfortunately, it’s hard to brighten up one’s day while working at an insane asylum, Seward’s pet project is a madman named Renfield, who croons about his soon-to-arrive “master.” Meanwhile, Lucy’s nights filled with dreams mingle with bouts of sleepwalking and guess who she encounters while somnabulating across the English coastline. When Jonathan Harker finally returns home, he has nearly lost his life and his mind. Mina and vampire-hunter extraordinaire Van Helsing read his journal entries to discover that Count Dracula isn’t simply an old man living in the Carpathian mountains. He is undead! And he is on his way to England! No, wait, he may already be in England! This version of Dracula is bound to be a satisfying (albeit old-fashioned) theater experience.