Cynthia Erivo’s one woman Dracula play is exhausting ...Middle East

Shiv Roy from Succession or Elphaba from Wicked? It is, admittedly, an unlikely cultural choice for us to be faced with, but the results are in and it is a clear win for scheming Shiv.

I speak, of course, about actors Sarah Snook and Cynthia Erivo, both of whom star(red) for Australian auteur Kip Williams in his fiendishly demanding, highly technical one-person adaptations of classic novels. The triumphant Snook in The Picture of Dorian Gray was runner up for my play of the year in 2024; Erivo and Dracula will not be achieving such a position this time around.

To say that this is a daunting task is an understatement: Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel of lust and blood lust, vampires, castles and nubile young women is brought to life by Erivo alone.

Williams, in his trademark “cine-theatre” style, relies heavily upon a team of onstage camera operators; the resultant live video interacts with pre-recorded film, the results of which are displayed to us on a large screen which, in homage to the supernatural thrust of the story, itself slinks about the stage, shrinking and expanding in size.

Whereas Snook managed to make this fiendish set-up appear effortless, Erivo has a tougher time with it all. If someone were to write a song about her experience here, “Defying Technology” might be an apposite title.

Erivo plays 23 characters, starting in simple modern-day clothes before moving into a selection of Victorian dress once the story is underway and young lawyer Jonathan Harker has been dispatched to help the mysterious count with a property transaction.

Williams’ adaptation is not an easy one; there are multiple changes of narrator and place to navigate and Erivo speaks at an unwaveringly fast pace for the 110-minute duration of the interval-free production. Goodness knows what this does to her, but for us spectators it is exhausting. I craved a change of tempo, quieter sections to counterbalance the flurry.

Erivo allows a couple of characters a sly and knowing nod along the way, but her opportunities to dig into any of them are limited. Jonathan’s fiancée Mina (long black tresses, respectful) and her friend Lucy (luxuriant wavy blond locks, daring) represent the push and pull of Victorian morality and there’s more notable hair-based characterisation when vampire expert Van Helsing arrives with his magus-like white strands.

When the play enters its final section (and the incidental music starts to drown Erivo out), our bewilderment increases and I must confess that I entirely lost track of who was speaking and where we were. Admiring Erivo’s multiple tattoos and ear-piercings, not to mention her terrifyingly long nails, became a more tempting proposition.

On the walk to the tube afterwards, my friend and I tried to de-muddle ourselves about certain characters and plot points, details which we felt the show itself should have provided. Yet I suspect that Erivo’s legions of international fans will not fret about such details.

To 30 May draculawestend.com

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