What a day to see this uplifting production, when we wave goodbye to the boredom of a general election campaign! Add to this the doom and gloom of the cost of living crisis and the absence of summer and we are all in need of a good laugh.
Those who watch cookery competitions will have seen those brave chefs who cook with outlandish ingredients the judges can’t imagine seeing on the same plate, with very mixed outcomes. Writer John Nicholson and the theatre company Le Navet Bete have very much taken this approach to the Bram Stoker classic, joining the modern trend of creating mayhem on stage.
The basic premise of this production is that Professor Van Helsing, played by Chris Hannon, wants to tell the less well known true story of Count Dracula, aiming to educate the audience through three hopeless actors.
Chris Hannon is joined by Annie Kirkman, Alyce Liburb and Killian Macardle making up a powerful team that really do give it their all, packing in big laughs whilst morphing effortlessly (well almost) from character to character. Brilliantly directed by Stephen Joseph’s very own Paul Robinson and supported by an energetic crew the recipe was just right.
If you want theatre where you can just sit back and have a good laugh then this is for you and judging by the standing ovation at the end there are many out there in need of an escape from it all.
At the Stephen Joseph Theatre until July 27th and selling fast.