Review: DRACULA, Lyric Hammersmith

Now that days are getting colder and nights are getting longer, it’s time to get spooky. When a viral video asked women if they’d rather choose to be alone with a man or with a bear last year, the internet exploded. To this day, more than half of the women in the 18-29 range who took part in the online discussion chose the bear, citing fears of violence and lack of safety around male strangers. It’s alarming. Riding that wave, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm has written a revolutionary take on Bram Stoker’s Dracula with a twist that redefines the original. Forget everything you know because nothing is what it seems: it’s time to follow Mina Harker on her own quest.

If we had to bring up Lloyd Malcolm’s blockbuster, Emilia, her Dracula chases that same high. By adding the complementary addition of the man vs. bear debate, it becomes as vital as Emilia was in 2018. The rich lore of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is expanded and transformed, becoming an intoxicating call-to-arms imbued with intersectional feminism. It’s another thoroughly galvanising experience for women of all ages. The adaptation asks who the real monsters are and how we define evil. We already have the answer, many simply don’t want to accept it.

Emma Baggott directs with precise intensity, offering a frontal, very human type of stagecraft. With the piece being about control, surrender, and the lack thereof, the cast is in charge of moving the narrative along. Umi Myers (Mina) stops the action to interject, comment, criticise, fast-forward, or add context to the circumstances, while Mei Mac (Lucy), Jack Myers (Jonathan Harkness), Phoebe Naughton, Macy Seelochan, and B Terry (all three in various roles) reenact the events that have led to this moment. They’re a well-oiled machine, with the very blocking being a spectacle as much as the tale that’s being told.

Umi Myers is a star. She carries the show from beginning to end with a sensational performance, indefatigable and chillingly charismatic throughout. When she begs to be listened to, we abide. When she screams that she’ll haunt us, we believe her. Magnetic in her retelling, she builds the tension slowly and steadily with unassuming resolve before breaking it suddenly with clever levity. Pulling the strings of the story, she charms the audience and lights a fire.

She might lead, but the company is indispensable for the outcome. Jack Myers is both pitiful and reprehensible as the foil that makes the allegorical political relevance pop. When he starts patronising Mina, we are ready to join her cohort against him. With Mac at the helm, Naughton, Seelocha, and Terry jump at Mina’s unspoken command with unyielding loyalty like a true coven. As Lucy, Mec is heartbreaking. Her blood-curdling cries blend with Mina’s own horrific wails during a horrid turn, tying their pain in an ineffable, harrowing union.

The ambience is terrific as well, with smoke snaking in through gothic arches while red lighting (Grace Smart at the sets, Joshie Harriette at lights) engulfs the most heart-pounding moments. There are a few fitting jumpscares, while other tricks generate suspense and creepy awe with Adam Cork’s soundscape. It’s a thrilling production from all points of view. If there’s one remark to be made, it’s that titling it merely Dracula minimises its impact. Nevertheless, Lloyd Malcolm’s newest play is an exquisite piece of feminist horror theatre. Women are angry and, finally, unafraid.

Dracula runs at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre until 11 October.