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

DRACAPELLA

WINNER’S CURSE at the Park Theatre

★★★★

“Anderson’s regular convivial contributions raise the tone, giving the sense that we’re simply having a lovely chat with an old friend”

Clive Anderson is just a pleasure to be in the company of. Never mind if he’s any good at acting, because despite the fact he’s introduced as Nobel Prize-winning negotiator, Hugo Leitski, he’s really just being his charming, endearing self.

Via the premise of giving a talk on international negotiations, Anderson takes us back to his first peace negotiation alongside dab hand Anton Korsakov, the first man to truly teach him the art, or as they say, the dance of negotiating. The story plays out between two countries in a 24-hour cease-fire, with Anderson loitering just outside the limelight, pleasantly interrupting on occasion to give the audience various tips and tricks, which they’re to practice on their neighbour.

I’ve come alone, and thus have to thumb-war with a stranger, but presumably most of the audience is bartering and thumb-warring with their friend or partner, a gentle form of audience participation which I think most people would be comfortable enough with.

Seeing as the disputing countries are made up, director Jez Bond is free to present them as he pleases. Costumes and names would suggest these countries are somewhere in Eastern Europe, but most characters speak in received pronunciation, whilst Nichola McAuliffe and Barrie Rutter use various regional accents. This encourages a much-needed silliness in the plot, which would otherwise be a rather tense tale of bureaucracy and personal selfishness.

The details of the dispute are a bit muddled, but we’re given to understand that they’re not especially important. What’s important is not what’s on the table, but rather who’s sitting round it. That being the case, I wouldn’t mind if the first half were a bit shorter, the warring dialogue cut to the absolute bare necessities, because as it stands, a lot of the chat is wasted on nonsense politics that have no bearing on the plot.

The characters in Winner’s Curse are what we’re supposed to be focusing on and, indeed, what writers Daniel Taub and Dan Patterson have done best. Each bringing their own grievances and quirks to the discussion, and each appearing to represent the types of people that might very well be in such a meeting: the jaded diplomat, the wide-eyed idealist, the young militant, and the embittered traditionalist.

This is Arthur Conti’s professional stage debut, but you’d never know it. Playing the young Hugo Leitski, he embodies the well-meaning, charming, but ultimately privileged and naïve apprentice. Coming from the National Youth Theatre, I’ve no doubt this is his first step in following past alumni such as Daniel Day Lewis, Collin Firth and Matt Smith.

Winnie Arhin excels in moments of high tension, but she seems slightly miscast as Conti’s love interest; the chemistry isn’t there, and in those more informal moments away from the negotiations she seems uncomfortable rather than playful.

Taub and Patterson lean a little too heavily on glib or silly one-liners- McAuliffe’s dialogue, for example, is largely made up of nonsense antimetaboles such as “Better to shoot your load than load your shoot”, or “better to clap your deal, than deal with the clap”, which grows tired quite quickly.

That being said, Anderson’s regular convivial contributions raise the tone, giving the sense that we’re simply having a lovely chat with an old friend. This is the first time Park Theatre has set up in the round, and it works perfectly for this gentle atmosphere, giving Anderson the opportunity to move freely. The revolving stage has a similar effect, allowing everyone a little piece of the action.

Whatever faults there are in this production, casting Anderson as the host is a stroke of brilliance, because you want to take whatever he’s serving, and so it feels easy enough to shrug off any plot holes, or casting issues, and simply enjoy his company for the evening

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

WINNER’S CURSE at the Park Theatre

★★★★

“Anderson’s regular convivial contributions raise the tone, giving the sense that we’re simply having a lovely chat with an old friend”

Clive Anderson is just a pleasure to be in the company of. Never mind if he’s any good at acting, because despite the fact he’s introduced as Nobel Prize-winning negotiator, Hugo Leitski, he’s really just being his charming, endearing self.

I’ve come alone, and thus have to thumb-war with a stranger, but presumably most of the audience is bartering and thumb-warring with their friend or partner, a gentle form of audience participation which I think most people would be comfortable enough with.

Winnie Arhin excels in moments of high tension, but she seems slightly miscast as Conti’s love interest; the chemistry isn’t there, and in those more informal moments away from the negotiations she seems uncomfortable rather than playful.

Whatever faults there are in this production, casting Anderson as the host is a stroke of brilliance, because you want to take whatever he’s serving, and so it feels easy enough to shrug off any plot holes, or casting issues, and simply enjoy his company for the evening

Reviewed on 13th February 2023

by Miriam Sallon

Photography by Alex Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

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