GRAND RAPIDS — Dracula is one of the most enduring characters in pop culture, adapted in movies, television, comics, and plays. The Grand Rapids Players will perform a comedic twist on the classic character in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors the next two weekends.
The show has been described as Bram Stoker’s story if it was rewritten by Monty Python and mixed with The 39 Steps, a play based on the Alfred Hitchcock film. A cast of five people will play 14 different parts with a lot of hijinks.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is a relatively new play and just closed Off-Broadway a few months ago. Director Joshua Cagle discovered the show while browsing scripts online. He thought it looked like a funny script and ordered it, perfectly timing with the show leaving Off-Broadway.
First take
Adapting a new play that is relatively unknown can be an exciting opportunity for a director. Cagle said, “Just knowing that I have the freedom and people don't come in with expectations already for what they should be seeing. It's good to know that I have that freedom to now be like, ‘Hey, this is the new expectation.’”
That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is a new show that translates to no pre-made props available to rent and Cagle has had to come up with ideas on the spot. They even had to create puppets for a puppet scene in the show.
As for the Dracula character, most think of the Bela Lugosi performance in the 1931 Universal horror film Dracula. While very different, the Grand Rapids Players did take one thing from that performance in this production.
“We kept the voice, the voice is the important part,” said Cagle. They scrapped the traditional portrayal though, using a different approach on other aspects of the character. “We kept the body language and actions more androgynous and gender fluid almost as much as we could to really get that sexiness that is Dracula.”
Acting to directing
Cagle was an actor before becoming a director. He got interested in directing in 2016 because of a desire to understand all facets of theater. He found directing to be creatively fulfilling. “I know that when I'm in a show I have control kind of over what my character is. But as a director, you can kind of guide every character where you want it to go, which is fun.”
The first show he directed was Sweeny Todd. He’s directed a lot of musicals, but comedy is what really speaks to him. “I've always been a very good comedic actor,” said Cagle. “Comedy comes pretty easy to me with the natural timing of it. So just being able to stand on the other side now and be like ‘Hey, here's where the funny stuff happens’ and make it a reality.”
His favorite part in the directing process is four weeks into rehearsals. Scenes have been roughly blocked, and the details come into focus. “That is real fun for me to help the actors find their character from within them and not so much put the character on, but pull the character out.”
Audience experience
Cagle says audiences should expect witty humor, fast costume and set changes, and unexpected twists in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.
“We've been rehearsing now for like 7 weeks and every time they're doing the show, I laugh at the same jokes because they're always still just so funny. These jokes just never get old for me.”
Tickets are available at the Reif Center website and at the door. Performances are Oct. 4-6, and Oct. 11-13. The Friday and Saturday performances are at 7 p.m. and Sunday performances are at 2 p.m.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
