 Photos - Morgan Roberts
Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula
revolutionised and influenced the world of literature, exploring the
polarity of sexuality and religion through a character that is both
eroticised and divine. The clash between sexuality and
religion, between modernity and tradition, between change and
uniformity, is always present in the arts, and in Zen Zen Zo’s
production of Dracula, this culture clash is explored and explodes into a deliciously innovative piece of performance.
Directed by Steven Mitchell Wright, with Assistant Direction and Writing by Stephen Atkins and Tora Hylands, Zen Zen Zo’s Dracula is presented at The Old Museum as the resulting production from the company’s annual creative development season (In The Raw). The
performance is heavily based on the original novel, even the point that
it follows the epistolary novel structure of using letters and journal
readings to tell the story. An infamous tale, Dracula is the epic story of the blood-sucking vampire Count Dracula (played by Kevin Kiernan-Molloy). Narrated
mainly by Mina (Aideen McCartney), the young woman reads from her
husband Jonathon’s (Kevin Spink) letters and journals of a time when he
first travelled to Transylvania to provide legal advice for the
illustrious Count. Upon arriving at the castle, Jonathon’s letters explain how Dracula forced him to stay at the castle for one month. Meanwhile,
Mina also tells of how her good friend Lucy (Peta Ward) is growing ever
distant and is soon to marry the asylum psychiatrist Dr. Seward (Rob
Thwaites), who is obsessed with studying his freaky patient Renfield
(Mark Hill). Jonathon escapes Dracula’s castle and
returns to England, whereupon he finds his wife’s friend Lucy in an
abominable state somewhere between life and death. Seward consults his friend Van Helsing (Simon Tate) who recognises Lucy’s symptoms as having been bitten by a vampire. After Lucy dies, she too transforms into a vampire, and thus it is confirmed that Dracula has also come to England. Following
Lucy’s death Dracula bites Mina, thus Jonathon, Van Helsing and Seward
must find a way to stop Dracula, lest Mina meet the same fate as her
childhood friend.
The
performance remains fairly true to the original novel, however the
epistolary structure in a performative mode is almost detrimental to
the actors ability to play out the story. Zen Zen Zo’s Dracula
generally follows a structure whereby Mina will narrate an event, and
then the audience witness the actors playing out the situation Mina
describes. What results is a repetitive structure that
does not often deviate from narration, movement sequence, narration,
movement sequence, narration etc… It almost became pantomimic. The
moments of narration were so strikingly dissimilar to the surreal,
heightened movement sequences that they somewhat toned down the
performance, rather than enhancing it. Nevertheless, it was an effective convention for tying the multiple stories and timelines together. The moments of narration just didn’t seem as striking as the rest of the performance. Perhaps therein lies a theatrical clash between the simple and the extreme.
Zen Zen Zo’s Dracula is undoubtedly a visual spectacle. The
costume and set design provided by Angie White and Steven Mitchell
Wright perfectly capture the imbalanced world set somewhere between
highly sexual and perversely conservative. Upon entering The Old Museum, the audience are swept into a living museum of Victorian England. White faced ladies escort the audience around the space, singing and laughing as if we attended a grand ball. Surrounding
the audience are various sets, including a fantastically posed
‘still-life’ of Dracula and his three vampire brides, all baring their
teeth and holding physically demanding positions. The
audience are expected to move around the space, and are regularly
ushered into different parts of the room throughout the performance. The physical prowess of these Suzuki trained performers is thoroughly evident throughout the performance.
Kevin Kiernan-Molloy as Dracula has a beautiful, fluid physicality. His body ripples across the floor in an other-worldly fashion, appearing both beastlike and majestic. Additionally,
Kiernan-Molloy performs surprising and amazing physical feats, which
for fear of spoiling the surprise for anyone who wishes to see the
production, I will not mention what they are here. Needless to say however, you will be impressed. Kevin
Spink, who plays Jonathon, gives one of the strongest character
performances, and is also a delight to witness his movement. There is a fantastic choreographed fight scene between Dracula and Jonathon, which again has to be seen to be fully believed. The
grotesque nature of Renfield (Hill) is a direct opposite to the
clinical Dr. Seward (Thwaites), providing an electric relationship
between two men where there is not much direct communication. The
Vampire brides were hot. The lustful, exposed flesh of the young, toned bodies enhanced the innate sexuality of Dracula. They were a visual delicacy to behold.
Perhaps one of the most surprising highlights of the production was the incredible vocal performance delivered by the ensemble. The performance concludes in a thrilling, chilling rendition of Broken Wings,
that is a combination between latin hymn and pop music, creating a
sound that fills the space with such power and energy that one cannot
help but be overcome by the emotion of these beautiful voices.
There was an underlying layer of homoeroticism to the piece, with a hinted at a relationship between Dracula and Jonathon. While
this relationship is never fully brought into the open, it certainly
opens some curious eyes towards the possibility of Dracula’s obsession
with Jonathon’s life as being something more than just jealousy and
bloodlust. Ever playing on the relationship between
sexuality and the church, Mitchell Wright’s choice to include a
homoerotic feeling to Dracula certainly enlightens and breaks
convention.
Zen Zen Zo’s Dracula is one of the freshest and liveliest pieces of performance to come out of Brisbane this year. How ironic that is based on one of the oldest and bloodiest stories of all time.
Zen Zen Zo present
Dracula
VENUE:
Old Museum Building | Cnr Bowen Bridge Rd and Gregory Tce, Spring Hill
DATES:
June 27 - July 14, 2007
TICKETS:
$28 adult/ $22 concession/ $20 Group booking (10+ people) School Bookings Available.
BOOKINGS:
(07) 3252 5540
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