Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) is set to return to London's West End with Dracula, a one-woman adaptation of Bram Stoker's vampire classic from the creatives and producers behind Sarah Snook’s Broadway and The Picture of Dorian Gray, Deadline reveals today.
Alongside the ancient bloodsucker, Erivo will play 22 other roles in the show, adapted from Stoker's 1897 and directed for the stage by Kip Williams. Among Erivo's other roles are classic Dracula characters including Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Lucy Westenra; and Professor Van Helsing.
Michael Cassel, producer and CEO of Australia’s Michael Cassel Group, and Adam Kenwright will produce.
Originally adapted for stage in 1924 by Hamilton Deane, the stage version of Dracula differs from the novel in various ways, including setting the entire story in England. A 1927 revision by John L. Balderston makes further alterations, including changing character names and directly identifying Drac as Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler.
Talking with Deadline, producer Cassel explains that Williams' version of Dracula for the stage:
“…much more into the metaphorical power of Dracula and reorienting the psychological battle between fear, desire and denial, and I think that’s much more resonant now, that’s my view. It’s got a great contemporary lens on it.”
Dracula marks Erivo's first return to the stage since to her Oscar-nominated performance as Elphaba in John Chu's Wicked.
