The Leeds Review - Issue #1Dracula, by David Nixon.
A Production by the Northern Ballet Theatre
West Yorkshire Playhouse
September 10th
Question: how often do I have my attempts at finding a peaceful sanctuary spoiled by other people's inconsideration? Answer: almost always. How refreshing, then, that despite the best efforts of the people sitting behind me to ruin my experience by providing a running commentary, they, for once, failed; such was my absorption that they were unable to penetrate the cocoon in which I was wrapped. I sat captivated for the entirety of this production, marvelling at a performance I could never have expected.
As I was buying the tickets, I thought to myself, 'surely this is going to be nothing more than a production using the public's love of familiarity to make money from another commercialised vampire story.' How wrong I was. The fact that this was a ballet set in a theatre was used brilliantly; this was neither a play, nor a ballet, but some sort of hybrid that used the advantages of both mediums to give the audience a fine version of this exciting story.
So often I hear people say something along the lines of, 'well, the book was much better, of course'. For me, it is the misinterpretation of the philosophy behind adaptations that creates this ill sentiment towards them. The director isn't necessarily trying to recreate the book, rather he is trying to give an insight into what they found important in their reading, which, I think, is all too easy to forget. Having been done so many times, it is very easy to categorise a production like this into either a good or bad adaptation. Too often I see opinions based on unfounded preconceptions, rather than on the premise that these works should be criticised for what they are, rather than what they aren't.
In the novel Dracula, for me, one of the most striking and important themes is the embodiment of the idea of reverse colonisation - the decline in the British Empire fuelling the growing uneasiness of some Victorians about the morality of imperialism - in the king of all vampires himself; the Northern Ballet Theatre's production almost completely ignores this. How could I enjoy a performance that fails to address something I find so pivotal to the novel? Simple, if I wanted to see my interpretation of Dracula out there, I would write a ballet myself. I don't, I want to see somebody else's and this is exactly what I was given. Not, I am glad to say, something looking to cash in on the legend created by Bram Stoker.
This production leant heavily towards the sexual reading of the novel. Whether between Jonathon Harker and Dracula, or Lucy and most of the rest of the male characters, it is clear this is an integral part to this adaptation. Sex is cleverly used to show that Dracula is not all about blood sucking and the raving un-dead, but rather sexual insecurity. The interplay between Mina and Dracula is beautiful, showing that Dracula can love and that this love can conquer his hatred, a strain often left unexplored in our increasingly violence-orientated society.
This ballet uses striking, gothic scenery and period costume to find the balance between ballet and theatre in this beautifully-choreographed performance. It uses poignant, Eastern European-composed music to evoke emotion extremely effectively. We feel the sexual tension between the characters, the desperation of the 'God-squad' to save these maidens in distress, but best of all, we are suckered-in to sympathise with our heroes' fear, with Dracula lurking in the set's shadows - not always visible, but always there.
There are flaws to this performance, however. The sub-plot of Renfield is out of place, kept in for the sake of keeping continuity with the novel, and Dracula's evilness is quiescent. Dracula's costume is often out of keeping, his glittery flares, for example. And yet, this just makes the whole experience even more rewarding; the fact this production is fallible reminds you that this is only an interpretation. It isn't what I have seen so much of recently - the use of the legend of Dracula to evoke feelings of fear, instead it was more in keeping with the other, deeper readings of Dracula, skilfully adapted for the stage.
Although vampires aren't always famed for relaxation techniques, I was pleased to find two hours of respite from life; two hours in which I really felt that I was part of the world David Nixon was trying to create. A beautiful and moving take on a novel compared to the overdone horror movies which have little to do with the original novel I had enjoyed reading so much.
Vincent Bartholomew Info