Presented by Michael Cassel Group, Cynthia Erivo stars in the West End debut of the Sydney Theatre Company production DRACULA.
Acclaimed star of Wicked, Harriet, Genius: Aretha, and The Colour Purple, Cynthia Erivo transforms into all 23 roles in TONY Award nominated adaptor and director Kip Williams’ intoxicating, blood-pumping reimagining of the immortal gothic horror.
Deep in the desolate wilderness stands a crumbling castle; a mysterious presence lurking within. For centuries, Count Dracula has waited in hiding. Now, this phantom is coming out of the shadows. As the Count sets his sights on a fresh target, a new kind of terror begins – seductive, unstoppable and dangerously addictive.
First staged by Sydney Theatre Company in 2024, visionary theatre-maker Kip Williams reunites with the genre-defying creative team behind the Olivier Award-winning production of The Picture of Dorian Gray to take his groundbreaking style of cinetheatre to new, heart pounding, heights.
After mixed conversations online regarding bumpy previews, projected line readings and show stops, the reviews are in for DRACULA. So, what did critics think of Erivo’s return to the stage?
Reviews across the board are mixed. Arifa Akbar from The Guardian says that, “The production seeks to focus on the battle between fear and desire in the story but there is neither chill nor heat here…there is an abounding sterility in the storytelling which undercuts the building of emotional or atmospheric momentum”. Whats On Stage‘s Sarah Crompton says of DRACULA, that it is “slick, soulless and all about appearances”, adding that Erivo, “deserves far better – a Dracula with a bit of red meat rather than this bloodless, soul-sapping affair”.
Meanwhile, Nick Curtis from The Evening Standard says that DRACULA “marks a bravura return to the stage” for Erivo, adding that “Dracula has always been theatrical, endlessly reviveable, and a vehicle for a star”.
Read all the reviews below
Time Out Worldwide (Andrzej Lukowski)
Whats On Stage (Sarah Crompton)
Broadway World (Aliya Al-Hassan)
Financial Times (Sarah Hemming)
The Evening Standard (Nick Curtis)
*This list will be updated as reviews are published
Dracula is adapted and directed by Kip Williams. With scenic & costume design by Marg Howell, lighting design by Nick Schlieper, composition by Clemence Williams, associate sound design by Jessica Dunn, video design by Craig Wilkinson, dramaturgy by Zahra Newman and associate direction by Ian Michael.
