After The Applause

This one woman show is an incredibly gothic, visual and technological spectacular!

I sit in my seat in anticipation, one of my favourite gothic novels brought to life in a way never seen before. Kip Williams is known for his incredible adaptations of novels, in which he manages to craft a way where it is possible for one actor or actress to perform every role. In 2024, it was Sarah Snook in a critically acclaimed version of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. However, it is now Cynthia’s turn, taking on 26 characters, 20,000 lines (all in a monologue) of Bram Stoker’s beloved “Dracula”, packed into an exhilarating 110 minutes.

Buckle up folks, this was a rollercoaster.

Cynthia walks onto stage, physically preparing herself for what can only be described as an incredible exercise in the art of an actor’s endurance. Kip writes these adaptations superbly well, however whilst Cynthia is the sole speaking actor, the only way this can possibly work is through the sensational utilisation of modern technology and a team of 14 camera operators. The way this works, is whilst Cynthia plays one part, on screens above her someone quickly edits and layers the live footage with pre-recorded footage of other characters. This may sound simple, but trust me it is not and the precision and accuracy these cameramen and women must have (as well as Cynthia) cannot be understated. The floor is covered in hundreds of markings, where the camera footings need to go, where her quick changer must stand, the list goes on.

You may be afraid that this pre-recorded nature of the show and heavy use of screens within the show detracts from the action or the story. Well I must say you would be mistaken, as it is quite simply breathtaking to watch and can only be described as technological art live on stage. As we see Jonathan (Cynthia live on stage) busily writing to Mina, layered over him is the malevolent spirit of Dracula, distorted and faded. I feel like the technology and the design actually helped to heighten the feeling of the gothic within the play and to create an impending sense of danger.

Kip’s adaptation is quick cut, whilst at times sometimes too quick and missing out some important details, however this has been done for entertainment purposes as I can understand. The runtime of 1 hour 50 minutes seems perfect, and makes this gothic novel feel like an action movie (especially towards the end).

I have to comment on the sensational production design, the set design by Marg Hornwell is a beautiful mix of traditional and modern, with a very gothic graveyard then contrasted with Dracula appearing in a large heart shaped coffin. This feeling is replicated through the music, whilst we begin with fantastical classic music, we morph into very beat heavy music with haunting vocals. I thought this choice by Clemence Williams, same with the set, really encapsulated this production and adaptation.

Now onto Cynthia.. My word is there anything that woman can’t do. She is perfection, she revels in the material. Her Jonathan Harker, a man of astute sincerity completely contrasted as she quickly morphs into Lucy Wistenstera, sweet and innocent, through a simple wig change. I thought it was so clever how she had designed every character, they all had different walks, different postures, hand gestures and this was really noticeable. I know that there was a lot of talk about her not learning her lines in time for previews, however I can certainly tell you to release these qualms as she knew every word off by heart. She has clearly worked really hard on this material and she just seems to be physically and emotionally living in it, which is so astonishing to see.

One of my favourite parts is where she morphs from, Mina Harker into Jack Seward in the final moments and due to how fast paced the script is she didn’t have time to completely change her outfit so instead one of the stagehands came and simply placed a wig on her head, and she is Mina, lifted it off and she is Jack. This blew me away, how quickly she was able to just transform into the character.

I adore her choice to neglect Dracula’s Transylvanian dialect and instead adopt a Jamaican accent, this feels more in line with her pink haired, dominating Dracula.

One of my favourite moments is towards the end when on screen she is playing Van Helsing, explaining their intricate plan to rid themselves of Dracula. On stage she is playing Jack Siward, dancing and moving to the beat heavy music that thumps around the auditorium. The dark shape of Dracula fading in and out on the screen as slowly another screen lowers to assemble the shape of a cross as we propel into 10 minutes of shouting and intense drama.

After this tense finale, you would think Cynthia would be done, after Dracula has been destroyed and Mina and Jack are free. But no, she propels into a soft tone song, with her incredible vocals, captivating the whole audience into silence as she repeats ‘come with me, come with me’.

As we go into black out, I can already sense the eager audience ready to give her a standing ovation in unison. What we have seen on that stage can only be described as remarkable! Remarkable acting, remarkable technology and a sensational adaptation of a sensational book.

MY VERDICT:

This play has had some mixed reviews and I do understand where people are coming from, Kip Williams does neglect some aspects of the book and sometimes you may lose track of who Cynthia plays. However I think that part is just one of the most thrilling aspects, we are lost in this whirlwind retelling of Dracula, accompanied by some brilliant music. I do really have to applaud the production team because whilst Cynthia is incredible, she would be nothing without the lights, the cameras and the staging.

Kip gets a lot of criticism for the way he adapts the gothic, people think he detracts and sometimes even saying in some reviews he ruins novels. I do not think this is true at all, I enjoyed every second of this performance (it even made me cry with how exciting it all really was!)

Put it this way, I will rarely see a show twice. I think it detracts from the experience, you feel like you know what is around the corner. However, with Dracula I exited the theatre and promptly book 2 more tickets for myself and my dad to go. This is a night at the theatre that cannot be missed, I am sure you will love every second of it (and if you have a spare ticket, I’d go for a third trip!).

Dracula is on a limited run in the wonderful Noel Coward Theatre until the 30th May.