We think we know Count Dracula. After all, he is instantly recognizable; a prime example of those iconic characters who have become far better known than the original texts in which they first appeared. In this regard, Sherlock Holmes is surely his only rival. Bram Stoker can have had no idea that his creation would become so very familiar nearly 130 years after he first described Jonathan Harker knocking nervously on the great door of that Transylvanian castle. But there’s the problem: that familiarity has become rather cosy and stale. Today, small children eagerly don Dracula masks on Halloween, showing that we have largely forgotten the disturbing and decidedly adult themes of the original tale. Mark Bruce’s Dracula finds a wholly convincing way of taking us back to its dark ambiguities through the medium of dance. His extraordinary production returns to Bristol having deservedly won the prestigious South Bank Sky Arts Award for Dance earlier this year.
Jonathan Goddard’s interpretation of the title role is entirely free of cliché. No swirling cape, no Christopher Lee, no Hammer horror. Instead, in a performance that skillfully conveys both muscularity and vulnerability, he portrays a creature trapped and tortured by the very powers that make him so dangerous. At times he seems almost puppet-like, pulled about by forces over which he has no control. An equally subtle characterization is given by Eleanor Duval as Jonathan Harker’s young bride, Mina. At first she is a dutiful little wife eagerly waiting for her husband’s letters from abroad, but in the final scenes all such passivity has gone and she has become a very different kind of woman. All ten dancers in this production are excellent, but for me the most memorable performance is Kristin McGuire’s as the doomed Lucy; by turns she is comically coquettish, sensually seductive, and finally terrifyingly possessed. A champion rhythmic gymnast, McGuire employs her athleticism to breathtaking effect in this role.
Mark Bruce’s choreography embraces a wide range of styles, and this is matched by an equally varied and evocative sound design from Chris Samuels. The term ‘eclectic’ seems scarcely adequate to describe the mixture of music, for it ranges from Mozart’s Requiem to Florrie Ford’s Down at the Old Bull and Bush, taking in the likes of Schnittke, Ligeti and Bulgarian wedding music on the way. Though this Dracula is not short of authentic Gothic gore, there are also surprising touches of humour, too. The three vampire brides occasionally act as a comic chorus, offering an ironic commentary as events unfold.
Dracula is dance theatre at its very best, full of memorable images. The first night played to a packed house, and I suspect that tickets for the few remaining days will be scarce, but do get to see it if you can. ★★★★★ Mike Whitton 02/10/14
Photo by Colin Hawkins
