Although Christmas decorations quickly replaced any remnants
of Halloween in stores, a large harvest moon hangs low in the sky and the
weather has just begun the transition from temperate to bone chilling. With the
opening of its second 2017-18 season production, “Dracula,” on Halloween, Blackfriars Theatre isn’t in a rush to move past the
season.
“Dracula,”
which runs through November 12, is a collaboration between Blackfriars
and PUSH Physical Theatre, an award-winning troupe that mixes dance with
movement and mime to create performance art. Blackfriars
Artistic Director Danny Hoskins has created a few
other shows with PUSH over the last decade, including a retelling of “Jekyll
and Hyde” during the 2015-16 season. “Dracula” is a reprisal of an adaptation
performed at Geva Theatre Center in 2009 (then,
Hoskins played Renfield).
The two-hour
show, written for the stage by Hoskins, completely reimagines Bram Stoker’s
classic 1897 novel in ways countless past film and stage adaptations have not.
In addition to making more of Renfield’s and
Dracula’s backstories and changing all the other character names to vague
monikers — such as “The Man,” “The Maiden,” and “The Chosen One” — the entire
narrative in this version is told with voiceover and movement. Because there’s
still a lot of plot to get through even with these simplifications, video
projections and an elaborate web of sound and music cues help drive the
narrative forward.
Interestingly,
the PUSH founders — and husband and wife team — Darren and Heather Stevenson
co-direct the production with both Hoskins and Virginia Monte of WallByrd Theatre Co. Monte was brought in both for fresh
perspective and for her design chops, specifically when it comes to costumes
and props. (It’s worth noting that she also worked on a different workshop
version of “Dracula” during the 2016 Rochester Fringe Festival.) And while four
co-directors may seem like overkill, there was no sense of micromanagement at
any point during “Dracula.”
The
six-person PUSH team is a wonder. Not only is each member a stunning mime,
dancer, and performer, but each one has a firm grasp on stage presence. PUSH
recently finished touring a version of “Dracula” throughout the United States
over the last month, and their deep connection to the production is apparent.
There is no low energy, no weakest link, and no lack of passion; rather, PUSH
moves as one pulsing unit, supporting and spotlighting one another throughout
the performance.
Rick Staropoli, who previously appeared in “Death of a Salesman” (as Howard) and “Annapurna” (Ulysses), plays the manic Renfield
to perfection, showing each step of the professor’s rapid unraveling into
madness. He is the only non-PUSHer in the show, and
consequently, the only actor onstage who has a speaking role. Staropoli makes a valiant effort with movement, but he’s
not a dancer — the most impressive part about his role is that much of it feels
like a one-man show (and not in a scene-stealing fashion, but in a strong-enough-to-carry-it
way).
The other
characters are portrayed through movement and voiceover only, which means some
of the greatest roles in the show are those the audience never sees. This is
especially true of the Voice of Dracula, played by Jonathan Ntheketha,
a local actor and Rochester Institute of Technology staffer. Ntheketha’s command of Dracula’s authority and menacing
timbre are truly chilling, and in turn empower Darren Stevenson’s intensity and
stage presence in the physical role.
The staging,
costumes, and technical aspects of the show are all tailored to an experience
that’s non-traditional for most theatregoers; this is a show that concentrates
on physical artists rather than actors and a minimal set design bursting with
video clips, sound effects, and lighting cues. Sound, especially, is crucial to
the production’s success, and designer Dan Roach — who also designed the
projections — has done a spectacular job creating the world of “Dracula.” In
the booth, DJ Stevenson has the important task of hitting every video and sound
cue, and he does so without a hitch. But over and over again, the audience will
have to suspend expectation and give in to imagination. The dancers become
desks, coat hooks, and armchairs. Windows are magically created from shadow and
light. Blood is intimated through sound effects.
The only odd
moment in the show was during a dance between The Man (Avi Pryntz-Nadworthy) and The Maiden (Heather Stevenson)
set to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in the first act. Most of the other songs
aren’t recognizable and don’t have lyrics, so the song seemed out of place and
the scene clunky, overall. In act two, a similar scene — this time between
Dracula and The Maiden — takes place, but this time the music is more thematic,
and the scene between the two, who have such a powerful chemistry, is gripping.
Since the
administration of Hoskins and Development Manager Mary Tiballi
Hoffman began at Blackfriars Theatre, there has been
a noticeable turn in the type of theater performed at the space – under
Hoskins, the seasons have felt more cutting edge. “Dracula,” with all its
experimentation, collaboration, and technical bells and whistles, is a
testament to that turn.
This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2017.
