Grant Grande as Dr. Jack Seward and Garrett Colon as Louis Carlysle (Photo Credit by Olimac Media)
"Jack, people need monsters. They need to believe that there’s still a limit to humanity, lines that simply can’t be crossed. And when they are crossed…it’s not one of their fellow citizens. It’s a monster."
This is a passage from Joseph Zettelmaier’s chilling, funny, and riveting play, “Dr. Seward’s Dracula.” It is a kind of prequel or origin story to Bram Stoker’s classic novel, “Dracula.”
The comedic, creepy, and credible Main Street Players production runs through Oct. 29 in MSP’s Miami Lakes intimate playing space, right in time for Halloween.
Under Janine Johnson’s careful direction, a talented company of five actors and behind-the-scenes artists are breathing believable life into Zettelmaier’s imaginative world. The performers are Grant Grande, Eleni Larancuent, Chad Raven, Daniel Sanchez, and Garrett Colon.
Under Johnson’s guidance, the actors convey the comedy in the piece without trivializing it. In addition, the performers impart the play’s spookiness without trying to shock audiences. Instead, as the performers believably portray their characters, the horror and humor arise naturally and do not interfere with each other.
You do not have to be a “Dracula” fan to find meaning and entertainment value in Zettelmaier’s play. However, it might have helped enhance audiences’ experience had Zettelmaier or MSP’s production included more background information about Stoker’s classic.
Basically, “Dr. Seward’s Dracula” presents a version of how Stoker may have come to create “Dracula.” Specifically, the play imagines that Stoker’s characters actually existed and that Stoker was able to interact with them before he penned his novel. Then, based on the information he obtained from them, he wrote “Dracula.”
Chad Raven as Bram Stoker, Grant Grande as Dr. Jack Seward, and Eleni Larancuent as Emily in Main Street Players' production of "Dr. Seward's Dracula." (Photo by Olimac Media)
True, Zettelmaier’s approach is not entirely original. Indeed, this is not the first time that a fictional work included the author of a classic as one of its characters. For instance, “Man of La Mancha” included “Don Quixote” author Miguel de Cervantes as a character in the musical inspired by Cervantes’ classic story.
While Zettelmaier’s play may not be groundbreaking, it is clever in how it combines fictional characters from a classic with their author to form an origin story for that classic.
With lively dialogue, sharp humor, and startling occurrences, “Dr. Seward’s Dracula” is an often breath-stealing work. At times, it will startle you and keep you pinned to your seat’s edge while eliciting gasps and laughs that do not minimize the creepiness. From the beginning, the piece grabs you in an iron grip and does not let go until the finale. In addition, the play will make you think about guilt, redemption and why we turn to monsters. But mostly, “Dr. Seward’s Dracula” is an escapist tale that will get you ready for Halloween.
The setting is London, England in December of 1895. In fact, Stoker penned his novel just two years later, so the play’s setting makes sense.
For those new to “Dracula,” the epistolary novel concerns a solicitor, Jonathan Harker, who stays at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula, while on a business trip. Harker escapes the castle after learning that Dracula is a vampire. The count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, investigates, hunts, and kills Dracula. A physician named Dr. John Seward plays a major role in helping defeat the vampires in “Dracula.”
In “Dr. Seward’s Dracula,” Seward has separated himself from the rest of the world after losing his lover and friends to the character Dracula. Stoker has contacted Seward because the author wishes to tell Seward’s tale. Soon, however, a series of murders occur. And they are similar to the killings that Seward fought to stop. With the physician as a suspect, he must face real and imagined demons to find the answers.
While “Dr. Seward’s Dracula” is often suspenseful, it is not like a bullet train that speeds throughout its breathtaking journey. Instead, the play includes not only moments of high intensity, but also laid-back scenes that charm, make us laugh, and add contrast to the proceedings.
Eleni Larancuent as Emily and Grant Grande as Dr. Jack Seward in the Main Street Players production of "Dr. Seward's Dracula." (Photo by Olimac Media)
Mostly, the humor arises during scenes between Seward (Grande) and the ghost of his lover, Emily (Larancuent). During these moments, the playwright makes us care about the doctor. Therefore, we grow concerned about him as the danger that stalks this play threatens to bring about his end. The play also manages to humanize the spirit of Emily, showing us what she was like in life and adding a supernatural element to the action.
“You know how I feel about your morbid moods,” Emily tells Seward. “You’re still breathing, aren’t you? That’s one you’ve got on me.”
A green glow shines from the room from which Emily emerges, reinforcing the otherworldliness of the play. Also, the door seems to open and close automatically, as though the ghost has special powers.
As part of the strong cast, Larancuent plays Emily as a mellow, charming, good-natured teaser who is drily humorous in a sweet kind of way. To her credit, the performer never tries to act ghostly. Instead, she humanizes Emily’s ghost, making us wish she were still with Seward.
Speaking of the ailing Seward, Grande imbues the character with believable tension and intense anguish, making the character seem like he is often on edge and overwhelmed. At times, we fear that the trembling, pacing, and panting doctor may faint or even die on us.
We see Seward even before the show starts. Specifically, he is home, reading over his journal, and writing in it. He alternately sits and walks around before the play starts, fixing something in the notebook or reading it over with intense concentration. The directorial decision to keep the curtain open as audiences walk into the theater immediately thrusts us into the world of the play. Why is this character concentrating so heavily on his journal, we may ask as we observe him before the show.
The actors, speaking in convincing accents, perform on Danny Nieves’ realistic-looking set design of Seward’s home. The set includes black and white designed wallpaper. In fact, the two colors may symbolize the dark and light moods that suffuse the production at different times. The set also includes basic furnishings such as a bed and work area. In addition to Seward and his girlfriend’s ghost, the characters who stop by the home are novelist Stoker, Inspector Louis Carlysle, and a character called “The Strange Man.” To identify him further would give too much away.
Chad Raven as Bram Stoker, Grant Grande as Dr. Jack Seward, and Garrett Colon as Louis Carlysle in Main Street Players' "Dr. Seward's Dracula." (Photo by Olimac Media)
Raven believably portrays Stoker with an inquisitive and pleasant air as he interacts with Seward.
Meanwhile, Colon imbues the inspector with a no-nonsense, intense, and even threatening demeanor. The character announces that he is not a patient man, and that immediately becomes obvious through Colon’s ferocious portrayal. You do not want to get on this lawman’s wrong side.
Sanchez plays The Strange Man naturally but with an intensity that matches or even surpasses the force of Colon’s portrayal. Sanchez, whose character looks like he is soaked with blood, lends the mysterious character an urgent desperation like a wild animal that is chained and has not eaten in days. A violent struggle plays out involving the mysterious man, and the fight looks real. That is a credit to the actors, as well as to Grande, who, in addition to acting, choreographed the fight scenes.
Angie Esposito designed the lighting, which includes hues such as red to stand for violence and green to create an otherworldly aura. At appropriate times, the lights blink to create a chilling effect. At least one scene takes place almost in total darkness. This reinforces the play’s creepiness.
Esposito also designed the period costumes, which are appropriately dark to reinforce the play’s horror. The exception to the dark costumes is the light-colored outfit that Larancuent wears to convey the spirit of Emily’s ghostliness.
The sound design, by Nieves, Johnson, and Kimberly Vilbrun-Francois, includes foreboding sound effects that add to the production’s spine-tingling horror.
MSP’s impressive production of “Dr. Seward’s Dracula” will put you in the mood for Halloween without causing you to suffer nightmares. By the way, small children may find the play to be a bit frightening, so use discretion before taking the kids.
Main Street Players’ production of “Dr. Seward’s Dracula” runs through Oct. 29. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, as well as 2 p.m. Sunday. Adult tickets are $30, while students, seniors and military get in for $25. MSP is located at 6812 Main Street in Miami Lakes. For more information, go to www.mainstreetplayers.com.
