Dracula- Page 2

[WildhornFanatic]

Posted: 6/6/05 at 11:48pm

No problem. Anything you wanna know about DRACULA, I'll tell you.

[leon1589]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 6:30pm

Well, as long as you're offering...lol...
Do you know where I can find an indepth (or pretty indepth) synopsis of the show? With like the songs, and stuff? It's such a shame that this show went off Broadway. I love Frank Wildhorn; if only more people would.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 6:31pm

I will write one for you.

H/O

[leon1589]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 6:43pm

THANK YOU!

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 6:51pm

Synopsis of the musical (not the novel)

***I would say spoiler alert - guess it isn't important now***

Jonathon Harker is en route to Castle Dracula in Transylvania. He describes this journey in his journal. (PROLOGUE) When he arrives, the carriage driver disappears into the night sky. Harker is rather firghtened by the eerie setting. Soon the doors open and Dracula invites Harker into his house.

Dracula leads Harker to the dinning room and forgives himself for not eating saying, "I have already partaken." Harker asks Dracula why Dracula has, after so many years of living in the Carpathian Mountains, decided to move to England. Dracula explains he no longer can survive living out A QUIET LIFE. When Harker finishes eating, Dracula leads him to his quarters. Harker becomes suspicious when he sees his suitcases already in his room because Dracula had told him none of the servants were available at such a late hour. Dracula quickly changes the subject to a photo of Harkers beautiful fiancée, Mina Murray. Dracula leaves the room for the night and Harker begins to write a letter to Mina.

Back in England, Mina is writing a letter to Harker expressing her love to him and her emotions when they first met OVER WHITBY BAY. After the two finish their letters, Dracula appears to Mina and tells her to wait for him.

The next day, Harker and Dracula are in the study going over the real estate papers regarding Dracula's new home in London. Dracula notices a cut on Harkers face and tell him there are no mirrors in the castle because they "flatter man's vanity, nothing more." As Harker looks over the papers, Dracula warns him not to stray in the castle and if at anytime he feels sleepy, to immediately rush to his quarters. Harker says, "Thank you," although he had not really been paying attention. Dracula leaves and Harker begins to grow drowsy.

He quickly leaves the library but finds all the doors in the castle locked. He sings about his feelings of being a prisoner and never seeing Mina again. He feels that Dracula has not been sending off his letters. Soon he finds a door open that leads into the attic. He collapses on some platform.

Soon it is revealed that he has collapsed on one of three coffins. The vampire brides soon awaken and begin to "feast" on Harker so that they can remain FOREVER YOUNG. Dracula soon rushes in and scares off the vampire brides. He gives them a baby to eat and soon begins to feast on Harker. As he drinks Harker's blood, he grows younger. His wrinkles disappear and his silver hair turns a rich brown. Excited to go to England to feast on FRESH BLOOD, he gets into his coach and makes haste to the docks.

Sometime later, Renfield, while in the asylum tending to his menagerie of animals, hears Dracula's voice in his head saying he his crossing the water on boat to England. Renfield his excited to be reunited with his master. Seward enters the room, asking to whom Renfield had been speaking. Renfield tells Seward not to concern himself for soon he will be free from Seward, science, and modern society. (THE MASTER'S SONG) Meanwhile Dracula is on the ship Demeter, feasting on the crew. Soon the ship sets dock in England.


I will be back in two minutes to write more.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:11pm

.....

Lucy Westenra, Mina's best friend, is telling Mina about her three proposals in one night. One is from the handsome Dr. Seward, one from the Texan cowboy Quincey, and the final was surprisingly from Arthur, her boring neightbour. What makes Lucy's desicion even more difficult is that all three men are good friends. Lucy asks Mina HOW DO YOU CHOOSE? whom to marry. Mina tells her that the decision must be hers. In the end, she decides she will be happiest with Arthur. Although Seward and Quincey are left crush, they still remain friends with Lucy and Arhtur.

That night Mina finds Dracula feasting upon Lucy in the garden. Dracula tells Mina the messgae was meant for her, but Lucy came instead. Soon Dracula vanishes in THE MIST, leaving a bewildered Lucy. Mina soon takes Lucy's mind off of the night and the two women cannot believe they are soon to be married. Mina tells Lucy that she must go to Harker - who was in a hospital in Budapest.

Dracula appears and explains that Lucy is "already a lost soul leading [him] towards [his] ultimate goal."

The next day, the three men and Lucy go with Mina to the docks to see her off. Seward, who expresses concern for young Mina traveling abroad alone, is soon dismissed as being too old-fashioned by Quincey - who says it's time to live in the MODERN WORLD. During this time, Mina expresses her great emotions for her soon-to-be PERFECT LIFE. Mina boards the ship under watch of Dracula.

A few days later THE WEDDINGS of Lucy and Arthur and Mina and Harker take place. Dracula, however, appears to Lucy that night and bites her neck again. Now, in such a state of turmoil, Seward calls a reknown doctor, who knows everything about obscure diseases. Van Helsing arrives, checks Lucy, and explains that she has been bitten by a vampire. Arthur cannot believe it, but Seward urges him to believe.

That night, they surround Lucy's bed with garlic, sprinkle holy water, and leave a large crucifix - to keep away any eveil spirits. That night, however, Dracula, throught forces his way into her mind, and forces Lucy to hide the garlic and crucifix. Dracula enters her room and bites her.

The next morning, the men find Lucy on her death bed. She lures Arthur to her and is about to attack him when Van Helsing quickly enters, scaring her off with a cross. Soon after she dies. A funeral takes place on a dark, rainy day. (PRAYER FOR THE DEAD) Van Helsing meets Mina and Harker and ensures that Harker will be healthy again soon.

Later that night, Dracula awakens Lucy and tell her that now she is living her LIFE AFTER LIFE and that she must go out and "drink the blood of the innocent." When Lucy leaves, Dracula takes the form of a bat and appears in Mina and Harker's bedroom. The curtain closes on a screaming Mina. End Act I.

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:24pm

I can't wait for Act II!

[leon1589]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:25pm

Wow... sounds great so far. How is that a boring show? The few songs I heard were excellent... people just don't know good shows anymore

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:39pm

ACT II opens with Mina, Harker, Arhtur, Quincey, and Seward entering Lucy's tomb, led by Van Helsing. They discover the tomb is empty and realize that Lucy is the cause of the recent children going missing. Soon they hear a woman chanting. They all hide as Lucy enters the tomb, luring a young boy with her. Before she can feast on him, the gang jumps out, startling Lucy. They urge her to release the child and "bow before christ." She begins spinning frantically around the room to the stairs, where her exit is blocked by Arthur. They push her back into her tomb and Arthur drives a stake through her heart.

Mina, disheveled by what has happened, wonders why THE HEART IS SLOW TO LEARN. Dracula speaks to Mina telling her to invite him in. He is only able to be with her once she invites him. She refuses because of what he did to Lucy. Dracula responds that he gave her everlasting life. She took it away. Van Helsing, who had been standing outside the door, enters but Mina does not tell him anything. Seward then enters and tells them of a strange patient he has. Mina urges that they allow her to speak to Renfield.

Later, the three of them go to Renfield's asylum where Renfield tells Mina that Dracula has spoken of her and that she must beware. They leave and Renfield, worried that Dracula will learn of his betrayel, releases his animals. Just then Dracula appears and breaks Renfield's neck. (THE MASTER'S SONG (REPRISE))

Back at home, Mina refuses to invite Dracula in. Harker steps out as Mina wonders why, when she knows she should kill him, feels the need to save him. She wonders, "what would happen IF I COULD FLY away to Dracula?" In the end, Harker re-enters. Dracula, however, also enters and knocks Harker out. He begins to lure Mina to him and she begins to fall in love with him. She no longer tries to fight it, as Dracula says, "THERE'S ALWAYS A TOMORROW."

Van Helsing enters, as Dracula leaves a bitten Mina behind. They decide that they must go and kill Dracula. They realize that if Mina can hear Dracula, maybe she could read his thoughts. They hypntoize Mina and discover Dracula is on a ship, making his way back to his castle. Van Helsing decides they can travel faster on land, and cut him off by train. The group begins to prepare for their battle that will lead them DEEP IN THE DARKEST NIGHT.

On the train, Mina tells them that should she suffer the same fate as Lucy, they are to kill her. They all agree, but Harker is stunned and scared. He walks out of the cabin and wonders how can he kill her if he knows it will break his heart. (BEFORE THE SUMMER ENDS)

He returns and finds them getting ready to hypnotize Mina again. They do, and they discover that Dracula is somehwere on the boat nearing land where ALL IS DARK. Mina leaves the train as the gang begins to discuss their plans. She says that if she can read Dracula's thoughts, he could read hers and that he mustn't learn of their plans.

Dracula, in his coffin, begins to to think, "THE LONGER I LIVE the more I wonder if I know anything at all." He wonders if he has ever been in love. Then he realizes that he is in love with Mina, and that she is now his world.

After, Arthur, Seward, Quincey, and Harker go to Dracula's ship, while Van Helsing and Mina take a coach to Dracula's castle. On the ship, they find Dracula nestled in his coffin. As Quincey goes in to stab Dracula, Dracula awakens and tunrs the steak around into Quincey, killing him. The coffin slams shut as the others fire at it. Finally, they open the coffin and find Dracula has disappeared.

At the castle, Mina and Van Helsing are looking for Dracula. They soon hear the screams of the vampire brides. Van Helsing runs off, leaving Mina alone. Dracula appears and Mina sing of their LIFE AFTER LIFE. However, Dracula decides if Mina truly loves him, she will set him free so he can return to the light. Dracula lays in his coffin and as they wonder if THERE'S ALWAYS A TOMORROW or not, Mina kills Dracula.

Van Helsing, full of blood, and the others enter and find Mina alone. Van Helsing bends to the coffin and picks up the dust of Dracula's body. In the FINALE, Van Helsing lets the dust poor back into the coffin as the sunlight begins to shine into the castle.

THE END

Updated On: 6/7/05 at 07:39 PM

[leon1589]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:46pm

Wow... so the ending is definitely different than the novel, but I think this one works much better on the stage (from the sounds of it). Does anyone know whatever happened to the song "Please Don't Make me Love You?" Did it get cut from the show?

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:52pm

The song wasn't as long as it is on the demos. It became part of "There's Always a Tomorrow."

They do say Please don't make me love you in the show - in fact the show ends with:


Dracula
If you love me
set me free
and let me touch the light

Mina
Please don't make me end this
before it's begun

Dracula
give me a true nightfall
give me back to darkness
give me back my soul
and step into the sun

Dracula and mina
i was born to love you
lived and died to love you
i was born to love you
and need you
and let you go free

That's all to the tune of "Please Don't Make Me Love You"

The actual song, in variation, happens after "If I Could Fly"

[leon1589]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:57pm

Thanks... wow... how do you know so much about the show? Do you have a recording of it, or just really good memory from seeing it?

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 7:59pm

Wow. Sounds like my kind of show. Too bad it's gone. =/

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:03pm

I saw it twice and loved it both time. I have the demo stuff...plus tlaking to people about it.

[leon1589]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:04pm

Cool... did you just get the Demo stuff from the site? How many demo songs are available? Do you know if there's anywhere else where I can find the songs (aside from the ones that were on the site?)

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:07pm

There were two demo CDs that came out.

They have recorded a Studio Recording - but are trying to find a company to release it.

[leon1589]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:08pm

Really... I never realized that the CD's were actually released. Are they still available, or are they out of print now?

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:09pm

They were out before the show.

Check your PMs for more info though.

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:29pm

I want to hear Darren singing. ;X I know that sounds kind opf cranky, like I don't like the show, but I just like Darren, he's the onlyo ne I know from Dracula. Hehe. I'd like to hear the music though, make them release it. :X

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 8:32pm

He was great in Before The Summer Ends - very emotional and by the end, he was crying.

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 9:28pm

He's an interesting guy. Lol. I was at teh stage door of Little Shop, and asked if Kerry had gone in yet, and he wwas all "Uhm, yeah. She's in makeup; won't come down." And I go, "Tell her the little stalker girl is here." And he did, and she came down, then he was really nice, and completely gentleman-ly.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 9:31pm

I saw him in LSOH and twice in Dracula - but only talked to him once after Dracula.

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 9:38pm

He was also smoking at the time when I approached him, so I can understand why he might have been a little snippy. Nothing like someone approaching you while you're relaxing to ask about another person.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 9:41pm

I miss Dracula

::goes off to cry.....and drink::

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 6/7/05 at 10:06pm

I miss Little Shop. True, it wasn't the best, but I still loved it. =/