When Dracula was said to be gracing the stage of Exeter’s own Northcott Theatre I have to admit my choice to purchase a ticket was not out of sheer excitement, but more a sense of obligation. Being a third year English student, who had never set foot in the Northcott Theatre before, happening to be studying Bram Stoker’s Dracula later on in the year it seemed the studious thing to do. However, as soon as the curtain went up and Mark Bruce’s spectacle started any sense of obligation gave way to utter engrossment.
Bruce’s dance adaptation of this classic gothic novel excited the audience from beginning to end. Whilst it may seem almost impossible to faithfully depict such a dense novel in merely physical terms Bruce’s choreography manages to seamlessly encapsulate Count Draculas sensuous desire, along with his vulnerability, through distinctive dance sequences that echo the physicality that is so prominent in the original book.
Jonathon Goddard enacts the role of Count Dracula tentatively and with originality. Goddard’s portrayal of Dracula is complimented perfectly by Bruce’s eclectic music and dance choices, which at one point see the vampire preforming an endearing toe-shuffle to Down at The Old Bull-Bush. Bruce’s interesting choice of musical accompaniments allows the audience’s expectations to be manipulated in a way that makes Goddard’s later demonic behaviour all the more poignant.[pagebreak]
This is evident nowhere more so than when Dracula finds his vampire brides seductively toying with the lawyer Harker. The count instantaneously evolves from the shadow of the former man he once was, holding himself with masculinity and nonchalant confidence, to a feral beast – a transformation splendidly conveyed through his body language and Bruce’s discerning choreography.
This sense of contrast is vividly perpetuated not only through Bruce’s choreography but visually – as the adaptation makes marked use of light and dark throughout. Providing the set with a perfectly gothic feel this employment of light, or lack of it, allows the piece to aesthetically portray the tensions of Victorian society -a society in which a sense of moral obligation was giving way to a darker sinister side, creating a national sense of unease.
Lighting aside, the truly incredible set (designed by Phil Eddols) creates a full blown gothic masterpiece complete with towering wrought iron gates, which then transforms into an opulent parlour and again into a horse drawn cart. A personal highlight of the whole show was the eerily spectacular horse head masks, created by Bristolian design shop Pickled Image, and the haunting wolves’ costumes donned by some immensely talented dancers. The divergence between the fluid movement and the overtly sinister costumes of both the horses and wolves provided an uncanny effect which left me feeling both enthralled and horrified. This emotional turmoil was heightened further by the Counts vampire brides, who were all at once terrifying and mesmerising. The trio, played by Hannah Kidd, Nicole Guarino and Cree Barnett Williams, managed to simultaneously exert a menacing brutality whilst also depicting the overwhelming sensuality and sexuality that has a prominent current throughout the tale.
All in all Bruce’s adaptation successfully displays the increasing tensions of Victorian society, who were struggling to come to terms with the darker undertones to their environment – and even more significantly present within themselves. The show evokes countless different emotions stirred by the plot line, the aesthetics and above all the talent that clearly resided on the stage. This was one dance dominated show that really was a, sometimes disturbing, pleasure to watch.
Picture credits: www.theguardian.com, www.exeternorthcott.co.uk, www.telegraph.co.uk