This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
As Mae West once said, too much of a good thing can be wonderful. In Havoc Movement’s “Dracula: The Failings of Men,” running through Oct. 31, that thing is blood. There is too much of it. And I can assure you, it is wonderful. If you like your spooky season served extra rare — with a dash of literary élan — don’t miss this pulse-hammering production at Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. It’s bloody good fun.
Havoc Movement, an Atlanta-based company launched in 2018, weaves high-action stage-combat and aerial performance with traditional narrative theater-making. Under the direction of Jake Guinn, “Dracula” applies this lively alchemy to Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, adapted for the stage by company member Benedetto Robinson, who also plays the eponymous vampire.
Robinson’s adaptation smartly abridges the original, opening with the count’s arrival in London and focused mainly on his abduction of the innocent Lucy Westenra (Bailey Frankenberg) and his pursuit by vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Mary Ruth Ralston), re-imagined here as a woman.
Credit: Jeffrey Watkins
Credit: Jeffrey Watkins
Dr. Van Helsing has been summoned from Amsterdam by her protégé, Dr. John Seward (Daryel T. Monson), to advise on Lucy’s mysterious illness. John is in love with Lucy, but he’s lost her to his good friend Arthur Holmwood (Jon Meyer), who has already proposed.
Their wholesome love triangle is a satisfying foil to the terror that creeps into their lives after Dracula’s ship arrives in London harbor. Meanwhile, John’s patient at the insane asylum, Renfield (Vinnie Mascola) is deteriorating, his strange penchant for eating flies escalating into larger, bloodier fare.
Fans of the original may lament the missing material, but as a standalone piece of theater, it’s plenty meaty, especially when dressed with this much dazzle. Robinson’s sharp script, which captures the flourish of Stoker’s writing, keeps the pace humming by reconfiguring some of the novel’s epistolary format into direct dialogue.
Credit: Jeffrey Watkins
Credit: Jeffrey Watkins
From that pliant backbone of a story springs a high-flying, stunt-packed production as enchanting as it is genuinely frightening. Guinn’s actors pull out all the theatrical stops to immerse the audience in ambient horror, furnishing an unnerving underworld through lighting, sound, aerials — and, yes, blood. Blood spurts from everywhere and everyone, spilling from throats and wrists, by swords and fangs, and garnering whispers of “How did they do that?” from the audience.
It’s an orgy of blood, and that’s the point, but Guinn finds plenty of artistry in the gratuitousness: In one breathtaking movement, the blood pouring from an unfortunate victim becomes a crimson strip of aerial silk, which lifts Lucy off the stage and transforms bloodlust into a vertiginous airborne dance. You never saw that in “Scream VI.”
A sturdy cast keeps these theatrics from curdling into farce. Robinson is a deliciously creepy Dracula, sporting blood-red eyes and an unctuous authority. He’s a villain of few words, which allows his dramatic physicality to project the full weight of his power. Frankenberg gracefully transitions Lucy from sweet ingenue to ferocious vampire bride, and her skill as an aerialist justifies the ambitious use of silks and lyra hoops (and covers for Robinson’s slightly less gainly turn). Meyer and Monson are convincing and endearing as both friends and rivals, with a comedic chemistry between them that warms the story throughout.
Credit: Jeffrey Watkins
Credit: Jeffrey Watkins
Ralston, a mainstay on the Shakespeare Tavern stage, is an epic Dr. Van Helsing, with a resolute stoicism flashed by mirth and an absolutely murderous talent for sword fight. The gender swap serves more than a quota: As a woman, Van Helsing’s protestations of monsters seem doubly ludicrous to her colleagues, and Dracula preys on her fear of being dismissed as a hack.
Mascola, finally, is superlative as Renfield, embodying the tormented battle between good and evil in a singularly disturbing performance. If you think live theater can’t be as scary as the movies, sit in the front row. Mascola will have your hair standing on end. A production this high-flying lives or dies on the commitment of its actors. Though they stumbled through a few movement sequences — kinks that will likely be resolved as this show finds its feet — this cast had us all in the grip of their teeth.
The “Dracula” fear factor is real, but the show is more performative than actually frightening, and the elaborately blood-soaked finale had our entire audience cheering. Shakespeare Tavern is a perfect venue for Havoc’s production, which makes great use of its stage elements.
This kind of visceral, immersive storytelling is what the old bards were all about, after all. And while the show technically has no “splash zone,” a bit of its viscera may follow you home. When the lights came up, I found a single drop of blood on my foot. It was a fitting souvenir.
THEATER REVIEW
“Dracula: The Failings of Men”
Through Oct. 31. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and Oct. 30 and 31; 2:30 p.m. Oct. 22. $20-$46. Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse, 499 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-874-5299, shakespearetavern.com.
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Rachel Garbus is a writer, editor and oral history maker in Atlanta. She’s a contributor at Atlanta magazine and the editor-in-chief of print for WUSSY Mag, which covers queer culture with a Southern lens. She performs improv and sketch comedy around town and has been known to pen the odd satire. She lives in North Druid Hills with her wife and her anxious dog.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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