DRACAPELLA
Park Theatre
★★★★
“The sheer joy that gushes from the stage, like blood from a jugular, soaks us to the skin”
A caveat: if you try to fathom out what could be the link between Bram Stoker’s vampire classic, “Dracula”, and the world of a Capella singing, well – there isn’t one. Nor is there, particularly, a connection between the original novel and comedy. But Jez Bond and Dan Patterson – the co-writers of “Dracapella” – have plucked out of thin air a way to blend them together, throwing into the mix the art of beatboxing. It sounds illogical. It could be chaos. It may well be construed as a gimmick. However, the end result is an ingenious reinterpretation of the story: relentlessly funny, extremely silly, exceptionally clever, and punctuated by some very fine vocal performances.
Dracula isn’t such a bad chap really. He’s just a lost soul looking for love. Hence the opening number: Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’. The seven cast members are supported by UK Beatbox champion Alexander Belgarion Hackett (aka ABH Beatbox) whose vocal dexterity anchors, not just the singing, but the whole soundscape of the show. Hackett provides every door slam, bell toll, bat cry, body fall, gun fire, flesh tear, sea storm, gale blow, body blow, horse trot, wolf howl, chain saw. As well as the bass and rhythm section for each song. There is no denying the virtuosity and the precision. However, spread over two hours, the novelty value is in danger of being sucked dry.
What won’t dry up are the jokes. There are many, many of them, tumbling relentlessly as though a giant Christmas cracker shaped piñata has been beaten to a pulp and the punchlines have fallen, not onto the ground, but into the pages of the script. Don’t worry if you miss one – there’s always another hot on its heels. And many are repeated anyway – there are enough running gags here to enter the London marathon.
Joking aside, “Dracapella” is a real treat. Not exactly an obvious choice for the seasonal programming, but there is a pantomime quality that creates a delightful festive atmosphere. In this vein, topical gags are shoehorned into the text, as are the array of hit songs that often come out of nowhere (most of them dragged, kicking and screaming, from the eighties). But once in the music, the vocal harmonies are magical and mesmerising. We could linger longer but the sheer pace of the show demands that some numbers are cut short and the thread of the story needs to be picked up again.
Ako Mitchell, as Dracula, is seriously cool (i.e. serious and cool), with an ability to switch to teasing playfulness. Bizarrely we are rooting for him throughout. Stephen Ashfield has comic timing and precision to a tee in his portrayal of Harker, the hard done by estate agent sent to Transylvania to seal the deal with the bloodthirsty Count. His journey from zero to hero is uplifting, no more so than for his bossy wife, Mina, played with a deliciously over ripe grace and hauteur by Lorna Want. But you can see all along that she’s pulling our legs. Her best friend, Lucy, is hilarious in the hands of Keala Settle, whose glowing presence fills the space with warmth and humour. Ciarán Dowd is relishing his role as an eccentric (to say the least) Van Helsing, doubling up as Sinister – Dracula’s faithful and foolish lackey. Completing the line up are Philip Pope as Lucy’s stuttering beau, Holmwood, whose stumbling words take flight on the wings of his musical prowess; and Monique Ashe-Palmer – a vocal powerhouse from the outset. The entire troupe are all vocally talented, multi-rolling triple threats.
Jez Bond directs with a schoolmaster’s diligence (come on – we’ve got to get through this story before the bell), while still allowing his charges to have the best time ever. The sheer joy that gushes from the stage, like blood from a jugular, soaks us to the skin – and we are loving it. Admittedly, the stakes are never high, the story becomes drawn out and the ideas get mercilessly recycled, but we are having too much fun by now to worry too much about that. I could bore you with the song list (there are some fabulous reinterpretations of old favourites), but instead I’d implore you to go and find out for yourself. “Dracapella” defies logic. A monster mashup: melodramatic, musical and mad. An unexpected feast you can really sink your teeth into.
DRACAPELLA
Park Theatre
Reviewed on 8th December 2025
by Jonathan Evans
Photography by Craig Sugden
Previously reviewed at this venue:
JOBSWORTH | ★★★★ | November 2025
THE MEAT KINGS! (INC.) OF BROOKLYN HEIGHTS | ★★★★ | November 2025
KINDLING | ★★½ | October 2025
LEE | ★★★½ | September 2025
(GOD SAVE MY) NORTHERN SOUL | ★★ | September 2025
VERMIN | ★★★★ | September 2025
