The well known story of Dracula has been reimagined and is coming to the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre as “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.” Speaking to the cast and crew of this adaptation, show nights are promised to be filled with comedy, focused chaos, subversion, PG13 related fun, and, most noteable, promiscuous puppets.
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“Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors,” reimagines the classic tale by adapting a dark play to have bouts of comedy, making the play more approachable. In fact, Kara Williams, who plays Dracula, encourages people to come to the play who know nothing about Dracula, even preferred. The show takes a unique take on Dracula and engages in themes of storytelling, fates, fear, emotional journeys, identity and subversion of all norms, but especially gender.
This adaptation of Dracula, as emphasized by the cast and crew, plays on performance of gender. Whether it be gender bending within the casting of characters, the costume and set design, or how actors connect to their characters, gender norms are out the window. Daniel Bizer-Cox, who plays two characters in the play, describes gender bending as not only comedic, but also liberating and helpful in the grounding of the play.
Gender isn’t the only thing that toggles many different emotions at once. With a total character count of 13 and a cast of six, this play entices audiences by subverting from the typical format of a play, and assigning one actor with multiple roles. Chris Grimm, who takes on the role of three characters at once, describes accents, physicality, and deception at the same time as clarity as being major challenges when playing multiple characters at once. The comedic element of potential puppet costume changes, discourse between puppets and “person”, and the emphasis that “confusion is not comedy” all invite the audience to witness another one of the spectacles within this show.
In a theater that seats just roughly 46 audience members, the cast invites you to “come play with them” and experience an intimate, engaging and absurdly unique rendition of this spooky classic. Director Ethan Gibney highlights the show’s intimacy, explaining how “it does not benefit in a larger space” and the close quarters help the audience appreciate and engage in the comedy of the show.
Opening night is October 24 at 7:30pm, followed by shows on Oct. 25-26 as well as the following weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 2. To celebrate the Halloween show, there will be the opportunity to win two free tickets to the 25/26 Ann Arbor Civic Theatre show season for anyone wearing a costume to the showing on Friday, October 31. So, bring your costumes, best Dracula accent, and willingness to experience a Dracula like no other at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.
Show dates and times: Oct 24 (7:30pm), 25 (7:30pm), 26 (2pm), 31 (7:30pm); Nov. 1 (7:30pm), 2 (2pm)
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre, 322 W. Ann St. Ann Arbor. Link for tickets: a2ct.ludus.com/index.php
