THE world premiere of a new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic gothic novel, Dracula, comes to Bath Theatre Royal from Tuesday 8th to Saturday 12th October. Blackeyed Theatre’s production marks the centenary of the first staging of the late Victorian vampire story that has inspired so many different interpretations, from contemporary dance to Hammer horror films to Twilight and Anne Rice’s New Orleans vampire tales.
This new production is on a long national tour, which includes dates at MAST Southampton, Poole Lighthouse and Exeter Northcott in early 2025.
The time is 1897. Mankind is on the cusp of vast technological change, scientific mastery and media innovation. Poised between traditional beliefs, the threat of the unknown and the shock of the new world, an altogether darker fear is emerging. As a new shadow looms large over England, a small group of young men and women, led by Professor Van Helsing, are plunged into an epic struggle for survival.
Stretching from London, through provincial England, to the mountainous wastes of Transylvania, Bram Stoker’s timeless thriller embodies the struggle to break taboos, resist temptation and stop the unknown outside becoming the enemy within.
Adapted and directed by Nick Lane, this new theatrical treatment blends Victorian gothic with the contemporary, showcasing Blackeyed Theatre’s trademark ensemble performance style and featuring a haunting soundscape, powerful performances and innovative design.
The cast of six includes three actors playing the role of Count Dracula across the ages. Maya-Nika Bewley, who received an Offie nomination for her role in Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit, plays Mina Harker and Dr Hennessey. David Chafer, whose credits include The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Importance of Being Earnest at the Theatre Mill, plays Abraham van Helsing and Count Dracula. Richard Keightley, whose credits include Ben and Imo for RSC, Watch on the Rhine at Donmar Warehouse and Twelfth Night at the National Theatre, plays Dr John Seward and Count Dracula. Pelé Kelland-Beau, whose recent credits include Painkiller and Run at Theatre Royal Stratford East, plays Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris. Marie Osman, whose credits include Aromatherapy at Talawa Theatre Company, Nowhere To Run at Hampstead Theatre and Babe, The Sheep Pig at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, plays Lucy Westenra and Renfield. Harry Rundle, whose West End credits include Harry Potter & The Cursed Child and Florian Zeller’s The Son at the Duke of York’s Theatre, plays Arthur Holmwood and Count Dracula.
After opening in Harrogate in September, this production transferred to Derby where Hamilton Dean’s 1924 production of Dracula marked the first official appearance on stage of Bram Stoker’s iconic character. The play is touring the UK until May 2025.
This year marks Blackeyed Theatre’s 20th birthday, says artistic director Adrian McDougall: “What better way to celebrate than with Bram Stoker’s classic! Dracula gives audiences a little bit of everything and really encapsulates what Blackeyed Theatre is all about – telling fantastic stories with passion, originality and unashamed theatricality.”
Photographs by Karl Andre