I saw Dracula twice back in August, once during previews, and once after it had opened. I thought that show show as a whole was a little sub-par, BUT I still loved it for the potential that it had. It really could have been such a wonderful show if it weren't for the terrible Lyricist/Book-writing team that is Christopher Hampton and Don Black. The music really was gorgeous! Anyone who says that it was some of Frank's worst music, obviously don't have fully-functioning ears. The main problem with the music was the fact that the orchestra wasn't entirely live, and completely small. A lot of people complained about Doug Besterman's "pop" orchestrations, but frankly I thought they were gorgeous, scare-provoking, and inventive. They would have been gorgeous if they would've been played by a full live orchestra. Wildhorn really did a wonderful job with these songs, but they sequentially made more sense in the La Jolla version. Really the two biggest problems were Christopher Hampton and Don Black; how these two were ever Tony-nominated, or hired by anyone is beyond me. The book, and a lot of the newer lyrics SUCKED; Unless you have read the book, the show jumped around so much that you never knew where you were, or really why anything was happening. In terms of the show's design, Chatherine Zuber's costumes were goreous, and perfect for the show. Heidi Ettinger's set, however, was completely disappointing. Sure it was pretty to look at, but what did it have to do with, within the context of a gothic novel? The scenery in no way evoked the gothic feeling, nor was it in any way eerie in slightest. To be honest, the show was a little too small for my taste. With the scale of the novel, and all that Bram Stoker's novel encompass', I felt that the show should have reflected that (i.e. Larger set, larger ensemble, large LIVE orchestra). Really a show that could've been quite brilliant was just shoved into the spotlight a little too quickly...It wasn't ready to open in the form that it was in. A show that should've evoked a sense of fear and uneasiness, sensual sexuality, and true adventure and class, really just turned out to be a little blah, and although it still love it, quite a bit boring. From what I know of the new German production in St. Gallen, the new team has re-introduced some positive La Jolla influences, cast a larger ensemble, and filled the pit with a much larger orchestra, and basically took the show in a completely different direction than anything that you would have seen in the La Jolla version or Broadway version. The shows European reviews were mixed, but still quite positive. I think the time between the Broadway closing and the St. Gallen opening was the perfect opportunity for Wildhorn and his team to re-evaluate the show and it's problems, and attempt to fix and re-vamp it into the production that it could've always been. I am a great fan of Frank Wildhorn, however not a great fan of who he chooses to collaborate with. I think with one of his newer works he'll get his time to shine, and truely have the Broadway opening he deserves.
Later!
Phantom05
------- "We Drink Your Blood And Then We Eat Your Soul, Nothings Gonna Stop Us Let The Bad Times Roll"
-------"Past The Point Of No Return, No Backward Glances, Abandon Thought And Let The Dream Begin"
