It seems that Bram Stoker’s Dracula is indeed immortal. Right now there are multiple ballet versions on tour internationally and a sold-out stage show in the West End starring Cynthia Erivo. First published in 1897, Dracula is still the benchmark for bloody gothic horror, on the page or on the stage.
This Dracula is a co-production of West Australian Ballet and Queensland Ballet that has been staged a few times in recent years and marks West Australian Ballet’s first appearance in Adelaide for a decade.
Dracula review – quick links
The gothic mood
It is a sumptuous production with stunning sets and costumes, all designed by Phil R Daniels and Charles Cusick Smith. The sets are particularly impressive, towering above the dancers and creating a suitably haunting atmosphere. Unfortunately the size of these sets does mean that the curtain needs to come down for key set changes, rather breaking the mood.
The colour palette is good too, with the dark colours of Dracula’s castle and the asylum contrasted with the lightness of the London interiors. The costumes are beautiful and create a stylish period aesthetic, full of swishing robes and fitted coats that emphasise the lines of the body. The white gowns of Dracula’s brides create a striking contrast to the darkness of their surroundings.
From the very first moments, the dancing is excellent, light and fast and technically precise, with impressive extensions, gravity-defying lifts, intimate pas de deux and superb pointe work. The choreography by Krzysztof Pastor, the artistic director of the Polish National Ballet, moves seamlessly between classical ballet and contemporary dance and has a familiar appeal.
Revelling in evil
The dancers are indeed impressive. In this production, one Dracula is never enough! Cuban dancer Oscar Valdés gives Young Count Dracula a rugged sophistication and muscular athleticism. Ludovico Di Ubaldo’s Old Count Dracula exudes evil with his wild grey hair and villainous countenance. The artistic conceit of these two roles works exceptionally well in telling the story and revealing the dual personas of Count Dracula.
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The two Counts are surrounded by the phantoms, vampires and young Brides of Dracula, all eager to please and suitably haunting.
At the heart of the story is Jonathan Harker, the young lawyer who meets Count Dracula to complete a land sale. Jurgen Rahimi gives Harker a wonderful naivety that is a stark contrast to the depravity all around him. Harker’s fiancée Lucy Westenra is danced to perfection by Mayume Noguromi and Chihiro Nomura is also superb as Elizabeth.
Juan Carlos Osma is also outstanding as Dr Jack Seward and Jesse Homes relishes the role of Renfield, the faithful servant now confined to an asylum.
The loss of live music
The score, by the late Wojciech Kilar, is critical in creating atmosphere and establishing the emotion of each scene. Kilar was an experienced film composer and created the score for Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula in 1992, so he knew the story intimately.
While the Perth season in May will have live music by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Adelaide season is being played with recorded music and not a live orchestra.
This recording, played by the WASO with conductor Jessica Gethin, obviously lacks the immediacy and tension of live music. The levels are too constant and we lose the intense light and dark, the vibrant tempi, and the personal touch of the orchestra down in the pit.
The note on the ballet company’s website says all musicians on the recording are being ‘remunerated in accordance with our agreement with WASO’.
The statement continues: ‘West Australian Ballet is one of the largest employers of musicians, artists, and creative talent in WA. Our hope is to return to Adelaide after this season, and when we do, be accompanied live by South Australian musicians.’
If there is another criticism to be made, it is that this Dracula is too nice. The ballet certainly tells the story, but it feels like a sanitised account. Where is the blood? Where are the screams of horror?
Irish author Bram Stoker really created an entire genre of gothic horror with this Transylvanian tale, so let’s have a little more to frighten the horses and send the audience shaking into the night. Balletomanes and dance lovers will find much to enjoy here but Dracula fans may be left wanting a little more gore.
