The frost was on the pumpkin; the wind was wild; and wispy streaks of gray cloud whipped past a luminous waxing Gibbous in the eastern sky. "What a perfect night," I thought as I walked into the John and Angeline Oremus Theater on November 1st to see "Dracula!" .
On a multitalented and gloomy set designed by Michael Nedza, director Craig Rosen and his cast and crew serve up a sexy and savvy production that is just camp enough not to scare the daylights out of any individual. The play, although not traditionally written or acted in the same fashion as its original version, draws the audience into the world of "Dracula". .
Corbett Lunsford, the music and sound designer, has provided a musical background that adds to the sense of the supernatural mixed with spectacular transitional sounds. The music and sound also made me aware when one scene was coming to an end and when another scene was beginning. The music, in my opinion, was what kept me focused when the play was getting a little bit boring. The lighting effects designed by Michael, were remarkable. It helped make Lucy's portrayal as the lost vixen more believable. .
The set, designed by Michael Nedza, had a London home, a cell in a lunatic asylum, one tomb, and in the background a sea like shore that were all effectively brought to life in a space barely larger than most living rooms. Often the plays I have watched and stages I have helped create, are staged simultaneously or in rapid overlap. The Director Craig Rosen and Assistant Director Michael Polino have succeeded in bringing a cinematic effect to the Oremus stage. .
This two-act dramatic retelling of Bram Stoker's novel by Dr. Craig Rosen is a "Dracula" without bats, and Frank Vitacoo is a Dracula without hair. He does wear a white cape though, that makes him look like a 20th century "Dracula" and an impressive amount of make up that outlines his features as Dracula. He is a tall, average weight size but not classically handsome like some interpretations of the original Dracula.
