Dracula 12/4 mat. Review - Warning: Long and Contains Spoilers

[perfectliar]

Posted: 12/4/04 at 9:19pm

THE MUSIC/BOOK:

To adapt a novel of such magnitude as Dracula (and by magnitude, I mean mainly length) into a 2-hour musical was something I thought the writers would fail miserably. I wasn't completely wrong. There was too much time wasted on pointless (though decent) songs that did nothing for the story. There was very little plot development at all, and where there was development it was not of the central characters: Dracula and Mina. There is too much time spent spelling out the proposals and marriage of Lucy, only to have her character die (bothh as a living person and as the undead) and not enough time spent fleshing out Mina and Dracula's entanglement and his seduction of her. It seems abrupt when in the second act Mina suddenly sings "If I Could Fly" where she speaks of being drawn to Dracula and possibly loving him, after spending the entire first act being scared out of her mind of the Count.

The music is not deep or moving in the least. Sure, it's nice to listen to. I enjoyed it for what it was. But it wasn't right for the show. Many of the songs sounded like pop songs thrown into the show to give the actors and actresses something to show off with. "The Heart is Slow to Learn," for example, didn't really do anything for the story. But it sure did give Melissa Errico a moment to shine. I did however, thoroughly enjoy some numbers. "The Longer I Live," "There's Always a Tomorrow," and "Before the Summer Ends" were all wonderfully done. I also liked "Life After Life" very much, though again I think it wrong to have the first act end with a duet between Dracula and Lucy, rather than Dracula and Mina. As for the bad... well, "Forever Young," "Modern World," and "How Do You Choose?" all bored me. "Forever Young" grated on my nerves, the variety of shrieky-sounding notes and meshing accents just seemed like unnecessary noise to me. "Modern World" seemed pointless, and "How Do You Choose?" was basically just there for some comedic value (though I didn't find it funny, but many in the audience did).

THE SETS/EFFECTS:

They were very nice to look at. I did feel, however, that they were distractions, mostly in the first act. It seemed like there was something constantly moving/appearing/disappearing/flying/etc., and it was hard to concentrate on what was happening between the characters (though, granted, there wasn't much happening in the first act). I think the second act was much stronger because there wasn't as much movement involved. Though I will say that many of the effects lost a lot of their magic on me, since I saw it all from the mezzanine. I could see all the platforms the actors were being raised on, I saw the trapdoors open when sets were being lifted and when actors were plunging down into them. They were still pretty cool, but very overdone.

THE CAST:

I just need to say that Tom Hewitt was utterly amazing. As the title character he had such a commanding presence that just overshadowed that of everyone else he shared the stage with. His voice was powerful and beautiful at the same time, something that the actor portraying Dracula really needs to have since that is the essence of the character. He didn't cease to amaze me throughout the entire show. And whenever he was paired with Melissa Errico, a powerhouse in her own right, it was bone-chilling. This is probably the main reason I enjoyed "There's Always a Tomorrow." Melissa Errico herself was very good vocally. I felt she overacted in some scenes (the scene in which "If I Could Fly" is included, for example), but I also thought she looked bored at times as well. Kelli O'Hara was perfectly fine as Lucy. She wasn't spectacular by any means, but also not bad. Same goes for Darren Ritchie (whom I actually thought was too weak to stand up to Errico in "Over Whitby Bay"), Chris Hoch, Bart Shatto, and Shonn Wiley. They were all fine performances, but nothing that sticks with you as you leave the theatre. The only actor I actually had a problem with was Stephen McKinley Henderson. I didn't like his portrayal of Van Helsing at all. His accent was confusing, and many of his line readings reminded me of amateur and even high school musical productions. I honestly thought he was a terrible choice for the role. Not to mention that he didn't physically fit the role... wasn't Van Helsing supposed to strike fear in Dracula's undead heart? His stature wasn't threatening in the least.

OVERALL:

Enjoyable. Somethings needed to be explained more and fleshed out a bit. The story needs to be brought more to the forefront, rather than the special effects and the pretty songs. It seems like the producers said, "Well, let's hope that the audience just looks at all the people swinging around above the stage and jumping under it that they won't notice there's nothing ACTUALLY happening."

But with some reworkings and at least one casting change, Dracula has the potential to be one hell of a musical.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/4/04 at 9:24pm

thank you. I've had "The Mist" stuck in my head since yesterday morning...

[jmaclover]

Posted: 12/4/04 at 9:26pm

That was the best review I have ever read of any show!

The cast and the special effects (and some of the music) drives Dracula, the musical. Henderson, needs to be fired. He wasn't the original Van Helsing. Jeez, I hated the movie, but would have preferred to see Hugh Jackman in that role. He was way too weak and the accent - oy, I was half expecting - "Let the child go, mon." (Even though he's from S. Africa - I thought he was Jamaican lol).

Thanks for the awesome review:




Have you seen this?

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/4/04 at 9:33pm

"Before the Summer Ends" is the best song in the show. I am listening to it right now. I will fight anyone who disagrees.

[jmaclover]

Posted: 12/4/04 at 9:35pm

OMG

Why don't I remember before the summer ends?

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/4/04 at 11:32pm

"Before the Summer Ends" is the song that Jonathan Harker (Darren Ritchie) sings on the train in the middle of the second act when he's depressed after accepting to kill his wife, Mina, if she were to become possessed under Dracula's spell. It is the most beautiful song in the show and should be sung by Tom Hewitt because he is better than Darren Ritchie.

[jmaclover]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:03am

I love Darren - and now I remember

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:04am

He's ok. Tom Hewitt's version of the song is the best with Shonn Wiley next in line.

[jmaclover]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:07am

Shonn Wiley is SOOOOOOOOO hot and doable!