Dracula belongs to a fairly exclusive group of fictional characters, including Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur and Robin Hood, whose story is being constantly retold through a plethora of stage, TV and film adaptations with a never-ending range of variations and even time settings. This production of Dracula however entered new territory, being as much a statement on both Scottish identity and gender inclusivity as being a new take on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. It is true that the abbey described in the original Stoker story is thought to be that of a Scottish abbey he visited even though the setting is in Whitby, North Yorkshire, with all the characters (bar a few Transylvanian vampires and one Dutchman) being English.
Before exploring the racial variations on the original, the first thing to say about this production is that the look and feel was essentially gothic horror with a superb set that technically included no less than nine different performance levels (some of which were very high) and five flights of steps. This together with creative lighting and powerful sound effects enabled the convincing creation of a range of settings, from the Aberdeen Women's Asylum to Dracula’s castle. There was also a strong cinematic feel to the production from some backcloth screens (ranging from a night sky to the inside of the human body) and more or less constant background music, which, as with a good movie, was largely there to enhance atmosphere than be there for its own sake.
All the familiar characters were faithfully there, including Dracula, Mina & Lucy, Jonathan Harker, Renfield, Dr Seward and Van Helsing. The plot progression was also faithful to the original story but after the interval, a few considerable liberties were taken with plot developments. To say any more however would be to give spoilers. Suffice to say, there were no changes made that were likely to offend anyone except the most ardent Stoker purists.
The acting was strong throughout and so, for much of the time, were the Scottish accents. In certain scenes, notable at the asylum, the liberal use of Scottish colloquial words and expressions sometimes made the speech hard to follow. Interestingly, Dracula himself spoke with the clear diction of a well-educated East European whilst Van Helsing, despite his Dutch nationality sounded very Scottish indeed. The key male characters were played so convincingly as men that the audience probably forgot for the most part that this was an all-female production. This was particularly the case with Ros Watt’s Renfield and Catriona Faint’s Jonathan. Liz Kettle made an excellent Dracula, gliding across the stage with the right element of menace. Her long hair actually fitted Bram Stoker’s original description of Dracula, long before Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee created the smart, well-groomed stereotype image.
This was a co-production by Aberdeen Performing Arts and the National Theatre of Scotland, both of which have a remit to develop Scottish arts. This was an exciting and powerful production, deviating from primary source material no more than most adaptations whilst retaining all the classic elements of gothic horror, as well as not-infrequent interjections of humour. One wonders how an all-English production of ‘Braveheart’ set in Kent or a Yorkshire adaptation of Rob Roy McGregor would go down in Scotland but that is another matter. This ‘Dracula’ worked and not just well set but beautifully costumed with a few surprises along the way and an abundance of atmosphere. The fact that the play was both all-Scottish and all-female ultimately made no difference for better or worse and this show would be sure to please any enthusiast of the genre.
Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 24.10.23
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