Since the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1897, the Count has been here to stay as a staple of the Halloween season. But what happens if we mix the story up a bit? Add a sprinkle of irreverence and a dash of wry sexual humor and you get Dracula: Comedy of Terrors, a fairly new play that made its stage debut Off-Broadway in 2023. A little Rocky Horror Show, a little Monty Python, and a lot of gender-bending camp makes this production an unexpected night of laughs. TKD’s production, helmed by Director Ty Shrum, captures TKD’s local charm and off the wall antics and showcases what they have to offer in the realm of comedy. If you’re looking for a little ironic Halloween fun to mix in with the frights and thrills of Knoxville’s loaded spooky events schedule, add this production to your list.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors features an ensemble cast that executes quick character and costume changes. After real estate agent Jonathan Harker has sold a series of properties to a mysterious Transylvanian client named Count Dracula, a series of unexpected deaths and transformations begin to plague London. Harker, his betrothed Lucy Westfeld, her father, Dr. Westfeld, and the enigmatic Dr. Helsing must get to the root of the problem, especially since the most recent victim is Lucy’s sister, Mina.
The set for this production, designed by Seth Kruger-Reilly and Elise Ball, was simple yet effective—a deep red and black brocade wallpaper punctuated with candle sconces lends a rich Victorian gothic atmosphere to the stage. At center stage is an imposing double door with the shape of a coffin emblazoned in the center. The rest of the set details are pantomimed both with and without props. Clever light and sound cues help punctuate these moments as well as create vastly different atmospheres, from an engagement party to a ship in squall and a damp dungeon crypt. There are also many practical effects worked into this production that add humor, irony, and delightful irreverence.
For the opening night performance, Shrum went on for Scottie Smith in the roles of Actor 1, which included the character of Jonathan Harker in addition to a handful of other minor roles. While there’s a chance that audiences might not see Shrum in later productions in this run, if Smith is as good as Shrum, viewers for those performances will also be in for a treat. Shrum was fantastic as the meek, hypochondriac Harker, and his portrayal of Harker’s personality shift toward the end of the play was unexpected and hilarious. However, Shrum’s sultry shenanigans don’t hold a candle to Jimmy Brown Johnson’s performances as Mina Westfeld and Dr. Van Helsing in the role of Actor 4. Brown Johnson really hams it up, especially as Mina, the Westfeld daughter less desirable to potential suitors but who is absolutely desperate with pent-up sexual frustrations. Some of his best acting and comedic moments happen when you least expect them or when your attention is directed elsewhere on stage. He commands the campy, goofy, and at times painfully awkward (in a delightful way) that this romp of a play seems to require.
Shelby Frye as Actor 2, most notably as Dr. Westfeld and one of his patients, Reinfield, had perhaps one of the most technically difficult roles in the whole production, as they were juggling their two main roles in rapid succession—Dr. Westfeld and Reinfeld appear often in the same scenes. Fry was met with well-deserved applause after jumping through a window, pretending to fall to the ground while screaming, and running across backstage while changing costume into their other character, barely losing their breath on their onstage return. Their command of accent and voice textures, especially in quick character changes, is also impressive and well executed. Lisa Patel as Actor 3, most notably as Lucy Westfeld, delivered her lines flawlessly, but I was hoping to see a bit more of the effects of Dracula’s seduction on Lucy as a character.
And Dracula sure did seduce! Adam Crandall was an absolute delight in this role, deliciously captivating, as one would expect for our modern pop-culture infused sexy vampire craze a la The Twilight Saga. This Dracula is clearly inspired by Tim Curry’s Dr. Frankenfurter, leather-clad and shirtless, and no one is impervious to his charms, not Mina, not Lucy, not Jonathan. Crandall is suave, tender, his performance quickly shifting between poignant reflection and manipulative persuasion. Overall the entire cast contributed in their own hair-brained ways to provide non-stop laughs the whole night, and their synergy together, even when shifting in and out of various roles, was evident throughout.
If the audience’s response and interaction on opening night is any indication, this production is a riotous, raucous romp. Dracula: Comedy of Terrors runs until November 1st with showtimes on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sunday matinees at 3:00pm. Tickets are available at their box office located at 800 S. Central Street, or online at https://theatreknoxville.com/dracula-a-comedy-of-terrors/.
