There are nights within the theatre once you really feel the room shift, not by means of spectacle or gravitas, however by means of that scrumptious, early ripple of laughter that strikes by means of an viewers when it collectively realises what kind of night time it’s in for. At Dracapella, that second arrives virtually instantly. Someplace between a thunderclap conjured completely by human voices and a knowingly dreadful pun that in some way lands as brilliance, I felt that previous acquainted pleasure: theatre at its most alive — foolish, self-aware, and completely answerable for its personal mischief.
Park Theatre got down to ship an “different Christmas present,” they usually have carried out precisely that. On paper, the premise sounds faintly unhinged: an a cappella retelling of Dracula. However in follow, it turns into a well-judged piece of comedian theatre that leans into its personal chaos with gleeful confidence. Co-writers Dan Patterson and Jez Bond clearly perceive the enchantment of organised chaos and let the solid run with it. There aren’t any twee snowflakes or sentimental sermons right here — simply fangs, harmonies, and a beatboxer who appears genuinely powered by one thing supernatural. And it really works! The present by no means pretends to be something apart from what it’s: a delirious, high-camp, high-skill a cappella reinvention of Bram Stoker’s basic that will possible make Stoker squint — after which, maybe, applaud.
The manufacturing’s true engine, nevertheless, is ABH Beatbox, whose extraordinary talent underpins each sound, rhythm and impact. In a present powered completely by human voices, there is no such thing as a room for sloppiness, and the solid meet these technical calls for with astonishing management. The preparations are eclectic and cheerfully chaotic, with comedian timing so sharp that laughter usually arrives earlier than comprehension. From eerie wind results to the clatter of Transylvanian hooves, every thing comes from the eight performers on stage. ABH, the UK champion beatboxer, is each heartbeat and spine; greater than as soon as, it’s genuinely straightforward to neglect that such sound is being produced by a human being.
The premise is acquainted — solicitor Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania on enterprise, solely to grow to be entangled in a love polygon involving Mina, Lucy, and a vampire who treats melodrama as a sacred vocation. The narrative is intentionally unfastened, stitched along with rapid-fire gags and musical interludes, nevertheless it holds as a result of the performances do. A cappella? For Dracula? I can virtually hear the sceptics blinking. However Patterson and Bond clearly noticed that hesitation and thought, “Excellent. Let’s run straight at it.”
Stephen Ashfield’s comedian precision as Harker is a masterclass in timing, enjoying the straight man with simply sufficient frayed nerves to maintain the insanity anchored. On the reverse finish of the spectrum, Ako Mitchell’s Dracula swaggers by means of the night as a totally self-aware showman, luxuriating in his personal theatricality. Lorna Need brings luminous vocal heat to Mina, whereas Keala Settle’s Lucy devours the stage with wonderful, figuring out abandon. Monique Ashe-Palmer, Ciarán Dowd and Philip Pope whirl by means of accents, fast modifications, bodily comedy and harmonies with reckless pleasure, pulling the viewers confidently into the joke.
Tonally, Dracapella sits someplace between sketch comedy and musical revue. Patterson’s fingerprints are unmistakable: rapid-fire jokes, gleefully groan-worthy wordplay, and a willingness to halt the narrative for moments of pure absurdity. It isn’t delicate, and it doesn’t try and be. The humour lands as a result of the solid commit wholeheartedly and since the manufacturing understands its viewers.
The staging is environment friendly somewhat than lavish, serving the fabric completely. The story strikes briskly, transitions snap cleanly, and musical cues sign tonal shifts with out breaking momentum. It’s a compact, assured piece of festive programming that understands itself completely: a vocally bold, mildly feral two-hour excuse for collective enjoyment.
One of many present’s most spectacular achievements is how persistently it retains the room in its grip. A cappella is unforgiving, but the harmonies rise with the arrogance of a West Finish ensemble accustomed to filling far bigger homes. Sure numbers despatched small chills up my arms — not from worry, however from sheer vocal craftsmanship. You haven’t actually lived till you’ve heard Eye of the Tiger reimagined by means of vampire hysteria and human beatboxing, or witnessed a solid decide to a joke about “stakeholders” with such sincerity you briefly neglect how catastrophic the pun is.
There’s something uncommon and restorative about watching a theatre filled with strangers snicker collectively, unguarded. Patterson has mentioned he wished silliness as an antidote to the burden of the world, and he succeeds: Dracapella doesn’t try to repair something past the auditorium, however for 2 hours, the one factor that issues is the subsequent ridiculous joke and whether or not Dracula will lastly handle to chunk somebody on function.
By the point the solid lands the ultimate word, there’s a glow within the theatre that follows you out into the chilly London night time, buzzing a tune you by no means imagined to affiliate with Transylvania.
Closing Verdict: Dracapella isn’t enthusiastic about reinventing Dracula, and it doesn’t should be. It’s loud, unusual and brilliantly self-aware, and that’s exactly the purpose. What it presents as a substitute is a beneficiant dose of festive silliness delivered by a solid with critical musical chops. It’s not excellent: a handful of sequences run a shade too lengthy, and a few gags land extra cleanly than others. However the general impact is heat, energetic and genuinely communal. (4.5/5 stars)
So, in case your December wants reduction from sentimentality and spectacle, it is a good, impeccably carried out different that leaves you grinning on the best way out. When you’re searching for gothic tragedy and precise goosebumps… darling, you’re within the incorrect fort.
In search of a festive theatre night time that swaps tinsel for enamel? Dracapella is at the moment enjoying at Park Theatre. Share your ideas with us on X/Twitter, and for extra theatre information and critiques, go to Celebmix!
