★★★★

“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.

CYRANO

Park Theatre

★★★

“an exciting adaptation of a classic text that leaves the audience wanting more”

Before the start of Virginia Gay’s adaptation of Cyrano, the cast travel around the audience handing out poetry. A testament to the play’s dedication to words. By Cyrano’s own admission, such words should be at the forefront. However, with the use of an ever present meta-like Chorus and a somewhat self aware lead, the play felt like a study guide rather than an anthology. The story and characters were constantly being analysed and commented on as devices and functions rather than purely experiencing the world as people. The result was a simple story with an easy enough plot being complicated by its over intellectualization of itself.

Cyrano (Virginia Gay) is a local smart person, with a way with words and an unfortunately large nose. A nose so terrible that she believes she is incapable of love. They quickly meet Roxanne (Jessica Whitehurst): a beautiful yet shallow woman who has a huge crush on gorgeous yet wordless Yan (Joseph Evans). Roxanne is dissatisfied by Yan’s lack of ability to communicate meaningfully with her, which Cyrano pities. Therefore, Cyrano steps in to assist Yan by doing the talking for him. The original Cyrano is a classic text, however, not one that I’ve personally ever read or seen. This version assumes you already know the story, opening with the Chorus (Tessa Wong, David Tarkenter, Tanvi Virmani) trying to define its genre and making references which I was honestly quite confused by. If the point of modern adaptations is partly to make such classic texts more accessible then this didn’t help.

The Chorus continues to comment on the narrative throughout the play. This is of course traditional of this role, yet it did feel like the audience was being told how to feel. Points where we were told the scene is sad, for example, rather than the characters simply experiencing sadness. What saves us from this being a constant theme throughout was Virginia Gay’s performance as Cyrano. Her solo moments on stage were incredibly warm and personal, making you feel as if you were right next to her as she confessed her inner life. Other stand outs include Chorus member 2, David Tarkenter, who adds depth to his portrayal of comic relief and context delivery by giving a sense of real personal stake within the story. A very appreciated addition to the Chorus that would otherwise make the stage feel overcrowded with exposition and one liners.

This adaptation changes the ending of the story. I was made aware of this as the characters state what happens in the original. It instead concludes by an attempt to make amends. This culminates in Roxanne stating one conclusion and then very quickly changing her mind. With ten minutes of run time to spare and the need for a happy ending, deus ex machina is applied yet unfortunately lacks any punch. It was times like this in the play I deeply wished for more of the poetry that Gay uses singularly for Cyrano, to also be truly exploited for the dialogue.

The set (Amanda Stoodley) was minimal, using a mirror, three stage blocks, a spiral staircase and a piano. The floor was painted white with many markings, presumably for the movement of the set. Costume (Stoodley) was modern and reflected a sense of each character. Cyrano wears jeans, boots and a shirt which favours practicality over beauty. Roxanne wears satin red joggers and a decorated satin jacket – comfortable yet glamorous in style.

Lighting (Andy Purves) and Sound (Toby Young) were very effective in driving the piece. Moments of intimacy were heightened by gentle fades of light focused centre stage and moments of silence contracted well with the business of ensemble scenes. Dance breaks were also dotted around throughout with classic disco songs, paired with colour washes and the occasional smoke machine.

Overall, an exciting adaptation of a classic text that leaves the audience wanting more. Unfortunately I fear what they may want more of is substance.

DRACAPELLA

Park Theatre

★★★★

“The sheer joy that gushes from the stage, like blood from a jugular, soaks us to the skin”

DRACAPELLA

Park Theatre

Reviewed on 8th December 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Craig Sugden

Previously reviewed at this venue:

DRACAPELLA

DRACAPELLA

DRACAPELLA

CYRANO

Park Theatre

★★★

“an exciting adaptation of a classic text that leaves the audience wanting more”

CYRANO

Park Theatre

Reviewed on 17th December 2024

by David Robinson

Photography by Craig Sugden

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CYRANO

CYRANO

CYRANO

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