‘Dracula’ Swoops Onto CCTC/HJT Stage

          Shadows are lengthening. The spooky season is just around the corner. The time is right for a bit of gothic fright, as “Dracula” casts his immortal spell on the Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre stage from Oct. 3 to 27. 
          A brand new adaptation written and directed by Brian Lore Evans, CCTC/HJT’s “Dracula” is inspired by Irish author Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel and the artwork of longtime Cape resident Edward Gorey, reworked from the stage play written by Irish actor and playwright Hamilton Deane in 1924 and revised by American writer John L. Balderston in 1927. 
Evans was thrilled when CCTC/HJT producing artistic director Jenn Pina approached him with the idea of bringing “Dracula” to the stage. 
          “I was very excited by the idea of directing a work of gothic horror during this time of year, which is perfect for a shadowy, autumnal, Halloween feeling,” Evans said.
Evans said his new adaptation of “Dracula” was born out of a desire for people — both audiences and actors — to come together in the here and now. 
          “In general, my approach to making theater is first to question why is this in a theater and not in a cinema? And second, how can I bring audiences and actors together and celebrate and foster that relationship? The original script is stylized for the time in which it was written. The new adaptation adds something more, bringing audience and actors together in a way that begins before the play begins, when you walk into the theater.”
          “This production is still set in the original time — the 1920s — but it’s also in the here and now,” Pina said. “Brian (Lore Evans) is so good at making adaptations that invite the audience in and help us feel like we are right there with the characters, in the midst of the story, in the way the production is staged.”  
          Young Mina Harker suffers from a mysterious ailment which has her husband Jonathan and Dr. Seward both concerned and stymied. Only Professor Van Helsing can help Mina as she becomes pale and weak, plagued by nightmares. Can Mina’s condition have anything to do with the mysterious new neighbor from overseas who has recently taken up residence in Carfax Abbey, conveniently located near the Harkers’ residence and Dr. Seward’s asylum? And what exactly are those tiny marks on Mina’s throat? 
          Inspired by Transylvanian folklore and written while author Bram Stoker worked as the business manager of a local theater, “Dracula” was always destined to make his unearthly mark upon the stage. Stoker himself secured his theatrical rights to the story in May 1897, the very same month of the novel’s publication, by holding a staged reading of his own adaptation at the Lyceum Theatre in London’s West End, where he worked. After Stoker’s death, young Irish actor Hamilton Deane picked up the project, creating an adaptation of his own which premiered in 1924. After a 1927 revision for American audiences, the Count debuted on Broadway in 1927, starring none other than Hungarian-born Bela Lugosi in his first — and iconic — major English-speaking role.
          Skip to the 1970s, when a revival by producer John Wulp on Nantucket, featuring striking set and costume designs by macabre illustrator and longtime Cape Cod resident Edward Gorey, made its way to the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre in New York.  A few years later, “Dracula,” using the same designs by Gorey, swooped onto the Broadway stage, featuring such greats as Frank Langella and Raúl Juliá as the titular count. In a stroke of brilliance, for the current production, CCTC/HJT reached out to The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust for permission to use the late illustrator’s iconic black-and-white designs.
          “The Gorey House is incredibly thrilled to see ‘Dracula’ on the Cape,” said Gregory Hischak, curator and director of The Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port. “It’s more than incredible, and we’re delighted CCTC/HJT sent a proposal to The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust to get permission for this production.” 
          Evans said part of the vampire’s fascination resides in the mystery of death, as well as the fact that when it comes to mortality, we’re all in this together. 
          “When I mention that we’re doing ‘Dracula,’ people light up!” Evans said. “We love Dracula. And lots of people, especially people on Cape Cod, have a special relationship to the work of Edward Gorey. The imagery — and the character — are both so alluring and truly monstrous. So many people have an attraction to both.”
          Pina encourages everyone to be on the lookout for fun Dracula-related Easter eggs in CCTC/HJT’s social media posts and in the world as we approach opening night. 
          “Keep an eye out for things happening around the production, inviting everyone into the world of Dracula,” Pina said. “Also, coincidentally, Edward Gorey’s friend and collaborator Carol Verburg has a new book coming out in October titled ‘The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories.’ She will be in the theater on the night of Oct. 17 to talk back after the show and to sign her book.”
          Don’t miss “Dracula,” on the CCTC/HJT stage Oct. 3 to 27, adapted for the stage and directed by Brian Lore Evans, featuring John O. Fennell as Dracula, Ian Hamilton as Abraham Van Helsing, Drew Krauss as Dr. Seward, Macklin Devine as Renfield, Amelia Burbine as Lucy, and Jon Cornet as Jonathan Harker. The ensemble includes Nansea Flynn, Anna Botsford, Zendon Donoho and Violet Hellstrom. The producing artistic director is Jenn Pina, with assistant to the producer Trish LaRose, scenic designer Matthew Kohler, props/signs by Marybeth Travis, stage manager Gianna Casale, assistant stage manager Shiloh Pabst, costumer designer Robin McLaughlin, sound design by Fionn Pina Parker and set design by James Byrne. Lucy’s dresses were designed by Claude Danner. For tickets call the box office at 508-432-2002 or visit capecodtheatrecompany.org.


Details: 
“Dracula”
Cape Cod Theatre Company/HJT, Division Street, West Harwich
Oct. 3 to 27
Information and reservations: 508-432-2002, capecodtheatrecompany.org