By: Vanessa Daddario
Posted In: Entertainment
Photo credit: Salve Regina University Theater Department
With the cool October air, this fall also brings a surprise in Salve Regina’s Megley Theatre. Dracula, adapted by Pip Simmons and directed by Alan Hawkridge, will be performed Wednesday, October 25 to Sunday, October 29 and Thursday, November 2 to Sunday, November 5.
This particular adaptation and performance of Count Dracula, who has been featured in countless horror movies and cereal bowls, is ghoulishly intriguing and surprisingly believable. This is Hawkridge’s third time revisiting Simmons’ Dracula because it had left such a lasting impression on him. It may seem like a different choice for Salve’s theatre, but Hawkridge said,”It affected me a lot and the images stayed with me.” Another factor which makes this show of Dracula so intriguing is the casting of Julie Rackauskas as Dracula. “I wasn’t expecting to cast a woman Dracula,” Hawkridge said, “but she gave such a strong audition. I told her to create her own Dracula and not to think of the stereotypical Dracula.” Julie was also excited about the new approach to this well known character. “Most people see Dracula in a really conventional way; dark and brooding and characteristics that they are familiar with. It was so refreshing and exciting when Alan allowed me to create my own Dracula. He has been really great to work with.” Sitting in on the first full run of the show, I was surprised and excited. Most people may be confused on what story Dracula can present and how it can be performed. Hawkridge and the cast work with the space in Megley seamlessly. Hawkridge was excited at the ability to work with a net, which adds an exciting and aesthetically stimulating factor to the show. From the first chords of the electric violin, a score played by Hawkridge’s long time friend Mary Casale, to the last shrieks of Dracula’s victims, the show gives non-stop goose bumps. The glimmer from perfectly situated candles and the brooding black stage instantly allows the audience to be brought to Transylvania, where the cast must figure out what is plaguing pale and ill people. The most visually exciting part of the show is when Dracula’s three vampires first appear. It is eerily powerful and sets the mood for the entire show. Salve Regina’s ,i>Dracula is what theatre is all about. The excitement, the apprehension and the powerful performances by all cast members allow for a refreshing experience that the audience doesn’t anticipate. There is no better way to bring in the fall season or Halloween than to see the rendition of this show at Megley theatre. When asked what the audience could look forward to Hawkridge appropriately replied, “Expect the unexpected.” And that expectation is satisfyingly met in this production.
