The dreamlike illusion of a theatrical narrative can be thrown off-kilter by any one element that is out of sync with the rest of it all. High-end, expensive productions have every bit as much difficulty with this as even the smallest shoestring production.
What with all of the many factors and hands going into any single production, it could be very, very difficult to keep them all in sync. Even the most talented directors are challenged by maintaining equilibrium between all of the different elements that go into a production.
Every once in a while, a show comes along that feels perfectly in balance. Aaron Kopec's Dracula comes very close to reaching that perfect balance between all of the many different elements of production. It doesn't hurt that Kopec did nearly everything other than act in the production. The playwright/director/set designer/lighting designer and audio designer of the show, Kopec had a great deal of control over his Dracula.
From the script on out, Kopec's Dracula is balanced. And it's a really good balance. It's balanced by virtue of the fact that he knows exactly what he's working with. He knows what audiences want from a Dracula production. He knows what his intimate studio space is capable of. And he knows the cast with which he is working. As such, he is able to construct a production of near-perfect balance. It may not be the classic representation of Bram Stoker's tale, but it is highly entertaining.
Kurtis Witzlsteiner plays the title role in a way that is very much in line with Kopec's last staging of the story. In the world of Kopec's Dracula, vampirism is neither sexy nor sparkly. It is a pernicious disease which seems to predate recorded history. As such, those suffering from the disease are very deeply afflicted by it in a very negative way. Yes, there is power, but it's a symptom of something more sinister that feeds on the vampire. In Kopec's world, vampirism is not pretty.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
To be fair, Sammich Dittloff, Libby Amato and Sarah Dill are attractive as Dracula's vampire brides. There is, however, little that they do that isn't an expression of addiction. And there's very little that is less sexy than addiction. They're very haunting in their performances, but it's a chill that comes from the soul of need.
Witzlsteiner commands considerable authority in the role, but his lean, hairless appearance seems to be showing the ravages of the disease on the body of the man who has been suffering from it for quite some time. This is not a physically powerful-looking figure. He lacks the sense of nobility about him that his title would suggest. There's a kind of desperation in the way he plays the role. There's a kind of tragic addiction about it.
Anna Figlesthaler and Randall T. Anderson play Jonathan and Mina. They are the romantic center of the drama who are the heart of the more serious end the play. They anchor in the thriller that is the spirit of the drama very well. Both are very charismatic stage presences that worked really well here. They scarcely get much time together onstage.
Jonathan and Mina play male and female ends of a victim dynamic which is one of many contrasts found in the story. Another plays out is that of Dr. Seward and the Dr. VanHelsing. Seward as played here by Sharon Nieman-Koebert is a woman of practical science. Playing Mulder to Seward's Scully is an inspired Beth Lewniski in the role of the occultist Dr. VanHelsing. Like so many other roles in the script, VanHelsing seems to be tailored to the distinct personality of Lewinsky. She has a very sharp wit about her that adds a level of humor to the production would service it very, very well.
Also putting in a very comic role is Liz Whitford in the role of Lucy. She plays a sexually adventurous young woman very much turned on by the dark recurring dream she's having of a dark figure coming to her in the night. Whitford's a lot of fun in the role and percent of humor is also a welcome departure from the brooding somberness that could easily overpower a story like this.
Harold Loeffler-Bell plays Dracula's twisted servant Renfield. He seems quite sane in the role. The madness in the character is understated in a moody portrayal. He's a perfectly rational person who can speak madness in calm, rational tones. It's a fun little addition to the atmosphere of the piece. That Kopec also adds in a little bit inspired by Fancher and Peoples' Bladerunner script in some of Renfield's ramblings suggest that there are probably other clever references in there. Kopec seems to like putting strange little details into his productions and this one probably has quite a few of them.
Rounding out the cast is Drake Dorfner as a midshipman who becomes a bratty little servant to Dracula. It's a clever little addition evidently tailored for Dorfner. His role and so many others are perfectly balanced in a thoroughly enjoyable production.
Alchemist Theatre's production of Dracula runs through March 16th at the Alchemist's space on 2569 South Kinnickinnic. For ticket reservations, visit the Alchemist online.
