Other Crap

Our Broadway correspondent, RW, sent this in today:

"I saw "Dracula: The Musical" on Broadway last night and here is a brief review with spoilers and nudity report. As for the spoilers - don't worry, this show won't be around long enough to spoil it for anyone. In other words, this thing is BAD. Just less than two years ago another vampire musical was on Broadway starring Michael Crawford (the original "Phantom of the Opera"), and that lasted little more than a month. Having seen both, I can tell you that Crawford's Dance of the Vampire was better, even though, or perhaps because, it was pure camp. It was "highlighted" by a recurring use of the song "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Anyway, Dracula is making his way to London because he has aged and needs new blood, but cannot survive in Transylvania because all the locals fear him and stay away. He sees a photo of his London-based real estate agent's wife, who has come to Dracula's castle to give him paperwork, and becomes enraptured by her. He tries to lure Mina to him, but also lures Mina's friend Lucy to him. Lucy gets there first and he enjoys his blood lust with her, turning her into a vampire. Lucy's recently chosen husband, along with several others, including Dr. Van Helsing, hunt down Lucy to kill her. Then they set their sights on Dracula. Dracula continues to lure Mina and eventually seduces her and takes a bite out of her. (We are now about 3/4 of the way into the show).

Mina, Van Helsing and the vampire hunters go back to Transylvania in search of Dracula. In a stunningly bad and abrupt ending, Dracula and Mina are left alone in Dracula's castle. Dracula begins to seduce her, but realizes that he loves her and cannot make her what he has become, so he hands her a knife to kill him. Dracula lies down in a coffin,is willingly stabbed by Mina, and dies. That is how the show ends, that abruptly and quickly and in the span of a 5 minute song.

The strength of the show is in the special effects. There is invisible wireless flying by the vampires. Dracula often exits straight up into the rafters or flies across the stage, as do several female vampires. The special effects, however, don't save the show or even make it worthwhile.

The oft-cited nudity in the show is brief and completely gratuitous, and was probably added to get hype for a very poor production. Toward the end of the first act, Lucy (played by Kelli O'Hara) is in her bedroom recovering from having been bitten once by Dracula. She is left alone and Dracula comes to her window. She stands up and walks to the window which bursts open with a strike of lightning and her nightgown is ripped off from under the stage. She is standing in center stage nude with her back to the audience in very dark blue lighting. She turns and walks to her bed where Dracula is waiting for her. From the audiences perspective if you are on the right side of the stage you will get a brief view of her breasts and bush, but in very dark blue lighting.

In the early portions of the second act, Mina (played by Melissa Errico, Patrick McEnroe's wife) is seduced by Dracula and the top of her nightgown is pulled down to briefly reveal her small breasts. The person I was with didn't even notice it.