★★★★
In this adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the National Youth Theatre delivers an exceptionally chilling production. By twisting gothic 19th-century lore with modern, club-attacking vixen vampires, Tatty Hennessy tells the gory story of Dracula across two worlds set decades apart.
The production opens with a rather classic portrayal of Stoker’s Dracula. The audience witnesses the gradual disintegration of Lucy (Sasha Jagsi), tracing her journey from blushing bride to Arthur (Jack David Collard), to an admitted sleepwalking patient in Dr Jonathan’s (Christopher Lee) asylum. Alongside her, the distressed Renfield (Luka Wellman) is kept under close watch. Lucy’s descent is slow and tragic, culminating in her transformation into a vampire bride.
The second half of the performance sees an acclimatisation. Set decades in the future, the story picks up in the modern world, following Millie (Maya Coates), a grieving sister, and Lorna (Louise Coggrave), a resurrected vampire who appears unaware of her own condition until her unnatural cravings spiral out of control. At first, this abrupt time jump feels like stepping into an entirely different show; however, a carefully choreographed cyclical ending mirroring the fates of both heroines merges the two timelines together and delivers a dramatic finale.
What is undeniably clear is the impeccable talent of the cast, shining through every corner of the stage. Each actor delivers what feels like a performance of a lifetime. The National Youth Theatre’s reputation for nurturing exceptional acting talent is truly exemplified.
Any adaptation of Dracula promises blood, and this production does not disappoint. With audience members quite literally fainting at moments of gore, visual effects such as fog, flashing lights, and sudden plunges into pitch darkness kept viewers’ senses in constant alert. If the ultimate aim was to leave the audience looking over their shoulders on the walk home, it was achieved greatly.
What was most surprising for an adaptation of Dracula is the absence of Dracula himself. Rather than appearing as part of the ensemble, Hennessy describes him as a phantom, wind-like persona that even the characters fail to find. He is a myth, almost to the point of nonexistence. This haunting, like iteration, admittedly made the count more terrifying. Not being able to put a face to the name creates an eerie sensation that he could be lurking anywhere, even after the show had ended.
Perhaps seeing is believing. Nevertheless, in this production, the unseen ghostly presence of Dracula makes him come to life that much more.
Dracula is presented by the NYT REP Company and will run at the NYT Workshop Theatre until 13 March 2026.
Words by Deborah Adelodun
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