Dracula

Shake & Stir's production of Dracula, an adaptation by cast members Nelle Lee and Nick Skubij that won it two Matilda awards in 2016, is touring for the majority of the year, including an unfortunately short season in Canberra.

Shake & Stir has been going for just a decade, but its professionalism has outstripped its youth. Though it enjoys several special effects and a great deal of artificial fog, the play rests solidly on Lee and Skubij's adaptation, which is compelling; and on workmanlike acting that the entire cast entered into as if dealing with real life and interacting with real characters; and on a set beautifully designed by Josh McIntosh; and on Jason Glenwright's stunning lighting; not to say on Guy Webster's well-conceived and -executed sound effects.

It's invigorating to see any production in which the audience is treated to no overemphasis,  needless shouting, or other treatment suggesting that its members may be either deaf or stupid; this production is one such, the lines being delivered believably and with emotional truth beneath them.  Our sympathies lay with the protagonists for good reason, and their sympathies with each other made their pretence all the more real.

Some eldritch combination of lighting colour, fog, and acting ability communicated the coldness enveloping most scenes and imbuing an already mysterious atmosphere with a little dread.

The vampire myth may have had its day, but in the capable hands of director Michael Futcher and his cast, its drama remains undead.  Even to somebody not generally a fan of gothic horror, this production has appeal and leaves an emotional bite.

John P. Harvey

Photographer: John P. Harvey