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(More customer reviews)This is a very interesting update of a play that, although well respected, is a bit stodgy, when seen today. This is DRACULA, zooted up with big sets and some laughs, here and there. I taught high school drama for thirty years and remember considering this for production nearly forty years ago. I remember liking it, but thinking the set was too sophisticated for my budget, at the time. I even saw an actual production of it in a summer tent theatre (remember them?) and my memory of it was pretty favorable.
Now that i am retired, I am doing a lot of community theatre, directing and acting. I am thinking of trying DRACULA in some form, this fall, and considered doing this version. I couldn't find any copy of it, and have amassed of play scripts in my library. So, I thought i'd track it down. I found a copy at Amazon Marketplace and was thrilled. I figured I could look at it with a more mature outlook, now.
It is still effective and not quite as dated as the original play. But the set is way too sophisticated for community theater budget. Still, I recalled that summer, tent production which had nothing, and figured it could be done; but decided I really should look at the original Dean and Balderston from 1927. I really had never read it it. But I remember seeing it on Bway in the 70's with Frank Langella and those humungous black and white Edward Gorey sets. Then, I thought the it was all scenic design and matinee idol performance, and short changed the book. But, when I read it, it seemed much more engrossing. So, if I do end up directing something in the fall, it will be the original version and not this.
But it was a lot of fun, as I'd remembered it. It takes the basic plotline of 8 million old movies and comes up with a solid new play, which retains what is expected and improves upon a lot of the more hoary element of the 20's version. I'm very glad to have had the chance to revisit with it.
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