paul's Broadway Musicals watch - October 2004

Paul Treasure wrote:
>
> He he he I should go through and get the reviews for Dracula
> as well!

Reviews for Dracula

Matthew Murray: TalkinÂ’ Broadway:

“… Dracula ranks as one of the saddest and most dispiriting Broadway shows in years… This is not a show intended for anyone believing a musical can commit no greater sin than to be completely uninteresting and uninvolving from its first moment to its last.”

“Those familiar with the original novel will no doubt find this puzzling, as it's never at all boring... Don Black and Christopher Hampton have dispensed with not only the epistolary format, but most of the period flavor and wealth of detail Stoker provided. They tell the story in such a casual way that copies of Stoker's book really should be distributed with every Playbill.”

“…there's never a moment of suspense, let alone surprise or horror. Hampton and Black hit every major plot point in a reckless case of drive-by dramaturgy, but do it at the expense of the characters. We barely meet Lucy before her death-defying transformation from living to undead, and Dracula, Mina, and Jonathan are so sketchily defined that their love triangle never feels remotely pointed. Unsurprisingly, the show's ending is an unmoving, confusing mess; Black and Hampton don't know how to end the story because they don't know what the story is or who the characters are.”

“As frequently happens in Wildhorn-composed shows, the songs here have but token connection to the action. At least, that is, when they're intelligible”

“… director Des McAnuff is too concerned simply getting the show to move; it does, if lumberingly. Aerial stager Rob Besserer and Flying by Foy create some eye-popping (and extraneous) stunts for Dracula and three vampire minions, Mindy Cooper provides some nominal choreography, and Heidi Ettinger's almost-attractive Victorian sets - incorporating a vast collection of door frames, iris panels, and projections (by Michael Clark) - are in nearly continuous motion throughout the evening. (One can't help but wish McAnuff had done more to delineate his characters than demonstrate that the undead know how to wear flight harnesses and can always find the stage's treadmills.) Additional spectacle provided by Catherine Zuber's costumes and Howell Binkley lights can't replace the show's missing heart.”

“Aside from brief moments of nudity for O'Hara and Errico, what does Dracula give its leads?
For that matter, what does it give its audiences? That answer is all too easy: nothing. Nothing to be impressed by, nothing to be moved by, nothing even worth mocking in the time-honored tradition of Carrie or Dance of the Vampires. Dracula is the kind of soulless, disposable mediocrity that doesn't so much suck the life blood from its audiences and the show business that spawned it as suggest there was little life in those things to begin with.”


Eric Grode, Broadway.Com:

“You won't find many fence-sitters when it comes to Frank Wildhorn. In most theatergoers' minds, the man who wrote Jekyll and Hyde and The Civil War can either do no wrong or do no right.”
“Dracula, the latest of Wildhorn's unapologetically bombastic pop operas, probably won't change many minds, although it's far more mediocre than partisans on either side are likely to admit. Yes, this $7.5 million penny dreadful is a dopey potboiler with a ridiculous ending and an ill-suited leading lady. But it's also marginally cool to look at, thanks to some striking sets by Heidi Ettinger, and features two or three of Wildhorn's more affecting tunes. That's not nearly enough to recommend Dracula, but rubberneckers in search of the next Carrie will have to keep looking.”

“Book writers Don Black and Christopher Hampton, who also share blame for the lyrics, join a rich tradition of plucking what they need from Bram Stoker's novel and jettisoning the rest.”

“Wildhorn delivers a few pleasant melodies along the way, including a lovely letter-writing duet and a solo for Errico, "A Perfect Life," that ranks among his softer sells. But while Dracula represents a step forward in his using music for plot or character development, he still has a long, long way to go. As for Black and Hampton's lyrics, here's a personal favorite: "Fresh blood on my pillow/Don't call it a sin/A fresh peccadillo/Two punctures in the skin." Groaners like that, along with a ghastly series of "comedy" bits involving Lucy's suitors, raise the possibility of a high-camp treat. No such luck. Director Des McAnuff has settled upon a severe, all-work-and-no-play Dracula.”

“Wildhorn specializes in roof-raising mega-ballads; Errico's dulcet soprano is best suited to songs that emphasize melodic dexterity over vocal firepower. Watching her attempt to do right by barnburners like "If I Could Fly" is like watching a boy soprano tackle Parsifal.”

“The producers should look into whether Flying by Foy offers any sort of bonus-miles plan: Dracula and his crew launch up, down, sideways and diagonally in almost every scene. Diminishing returns quickly set in, although the special effects also include a nifty disappearing act just before intermission. (If only some of the effects budget had gone to the orchestra instead: Wildhorn has handed his score to six instruments, half of them synthesizers. Not even the gifted orchestrator Doug Besterman has a chance with this murky, muddy splat of sound.) The cinematic fluidity that McAnuff imposed so unforgettably on Tommy is nowhere to be found, with much of his energy devoted to getting actors out of the way of the flying scenery and/or performers.”

“What were the writers thinking? Did they just lose interest? If so, they're not the only ones.”


David Finkle: Theatermania:

“Dracula, the Musical is so inept that it's difficult to resist the temptation to drag out expected puns about it. I'll give in only so far as to say that the offering of librettists-lyricists Don Black and Christopher Hampton, composer Frank Wildhorn, and director Des McAnuff looks as if it's had all the blood drained from it. It's juiceless, joyless, and -- inexcusable for an adaptation of a classic thriller -- shockless. “

“Don Black (rhymes with "hack") is surely the chief culprit here. My favorite set of lyrics goes, "Undead one, release him / We order in Jesus' name / Undead one, surrender / Prepare to bow before Christ." Sings right off the page, no? And there's plenty more where those came from -- not from Transylvania, but from hunger.”

“More interested in mechanical logistics than script logistics, director Des McAnuff has as usual piled on the lighting cues, sound cues and sets… Set designer Heidi Ettinger keeps doors and coffins popping up and moving flats irising. Ettinger's most striking contribution is a very tall, marble-like sculpture of a young boy holding a skull; it rises from the pit where Harry Houdini once hid his elephant. The looming piece has no title, but I'll oblige: "The Next Theater-Going Generation Contemplates the Remains of Musical Comedy." Dracula? No, Dreck-ula.”


PT