{"id":12921,"date":"2026-05-17T12:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T12:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/12921\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T12:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T12:35:28","slug":"review-dracula-the-ballet-delivers-dark-theatrical-magic-the-scoop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/12921\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Dracula The Ballet Delivers Dark Theatrical Magic \u2022 The Scoop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

West Australian Ballet\u2019s Dracula has returned to Perth with as much bite as ever, in co-production with Queensland Ballet.<\/p>\n

Drawing inspiration from both Bram Stoker\u2019s 1897 novel and Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s 1992 film, Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula, this atmospheric production is dramatic in all the right ways and is sure to enthral every audience.<\/p>\n

The entire opening night cast was fabulous, especially Nikki Blain as Mina and Mayume Noguromi as Lucy, whose dramatic acting added emotional weight to their already breathtaking performances.<\/p>\n

On opening night, Jurgen Rahimi and Ludovico Di Ubaldo were equally stunning as Young Dracula and Old Dracula, respectively. From the swirl of a cape to impressively choreographed transformations, their execution of uncannily erratic and unnaturally fluid movements perfectly evoked the gracefully grotesque.<\/p>\n

The vampires (Alexa Tuzil, Polly Hilton, Kassidy Thompson, Charles Dashwood, Adam Alzaim, and Benjamin Anderson on opening night) were nothing short of ethereal, and Oscar Valdes played a captivating Jonathan Harker.<\/p>\n

Other standout opening night cast included Juan Carlos Osma as Dr Jack Seward, Gakuro Matsui as Professor Van Helsing, and Heath Kolka as Arthur Holmwood.<\/p>\n

Like the film, this ballet positions Mina as the reincarnation of Count Dracula\u2019s wife, Elizabeth, whose tragic suicide catalyses Dracula\u2019s renunciation of the church and his subsequent transformation into a vampire.<\/p>\n

Transformation and doubling are driving forces in both the story and its execution. These are used to great effect through the utilisation of two Draculas (one youthful, one ancient), Dracula\u2019s dual love for Elizabeth reincarnated as Mina, and technical aspects of the production, such as swapping Elizabeth\u2019s dancer with a fake body for her suicidal leap, and the constant switching between Young Dracula and Old Dracula throughout the performance.<\/p>\n

\"The
\nStillness and darkness are as important to the production as movement and light Photo by Jonathan VDK<\/p>\n

This production resurrects Kilar\u2019s score from the 1992 film \u2013 arranged by Michael Brett and Joshua Davis with Powel Chynowski as libretto \u2013 under the skillful hand of principal conductor Jessica Gethin.<\/p>\n

Jon Buswell\u2019s lighting and Wojciech Kilar\u2019s composition complement Kilar\u2019s music and Krysztof Pastor\u2019s choreography, turning slow-motion swordfights into moments of ominous urgency with aural repetition and dramatic lighting. The use of slow motion combined with hypnotic music makes time feel like it really is moving differently, completely entrancing the audience.<\/p>\n

Pastor\u2019s choreography is delectable, with movement and expression emphasising intimacy between the dancers in some moments and subverting it in others. The interplay between Dracula\u2019s choreography and other elements (costumes, set design, props, music and lighting) is as integral to its charm as the attention paid to the gothic roots of the source material.<\/p>\n

For example, choreography for the insane asylum patients incorporates straitjackets, restraints, and crazed jerking. The vampires\u2019 nocturnal visit to Jonathan\u2019s bed is replete with dreamlike languor, mirror-like symmetry, and bare-limbed visual innuendo.<\/p>\n

Lucy (in vampiric form) moves with controlled abandon, in one dream-like moment appearing to float backwards on pointe under Dracula\u2019s thrall. A darkness-enshrouded pas de deux communicates the passion, pain, and longing between Mina and Dracula with total aesthetic resonance.<\/p>\n

Stillness and darkness are as important as movement and light, adding to the innate dynamism of this production. Examples include a deathly silence that prolongs a moment of tension right before Lucy rises as a vampire; the moment Mina and Dracula first meet (when they lock eyes and stand perfectly still in the midst of a bustling dance); and Lucy and Arthur\u2019s engagement, when the music turns ominous, and Lucy\u2019s smile fades as time slows down to a freeze.<\/p>\n

Set and costume designers Phil R Daniels and Charles Cusick Smith create incredible contrast between the London and Transylvanian scenes, not just in terms of the physical sets and costumes, but also through an attentive awareness of how lighting and choreography combine to enhance their creative vision.<\/p>\n

\"The
\nThe production is a beautifully uncanny and intensely emotional journey of significant aesthetic magnitude Photo by Jonathan VDK<\/p>\n

Inside Dracula\u2019s castle, flickering candelabras cast a golden glow as Dracula \u2013 more creature than man \u2013 contorts beneath massive crimson drapes. A tablecloth edged with gold adorns a long table, at which vampires are feeding when Jonathan Harker arrives.<\/p>\n

Jonathan is swept up in the sway of Dracula\u2019s magnetism, especially after he cuts himself and Dracula finds him irresistible. There is tension in their dynamic; this is a dance of predator and prey, with Jonathan retreating and submitting simultaneously across a gothically fog-strewn stage.<\/p>\n

Lightweight wood, plastic moulds, and foam are used to create an impression of timeless solidity in the set design. Dracula\u2019s castle gate \u2013 with heavy wooden doors set into ancient stone \u2013 is as much the epitome of Victorian Gothic aesthetic as the castle interior, the cemetery, or the insane asylum, all of which are outstandingly atmospheric in their own right.<\/p>\n

A spiral staircase adds a dizzying dimension, and the insane asylum features a wall that utilises perspective to convey a sense of encroaching enclosure. An array of props \u2013 which include a hypodermic needle, an instrument for a Victorian era blood transfusion \u2013 provides finer detail to complement the Victorian sensibility of the sets.<\/p>\n

Lucy\u2019s ghostly white nightgown, and the midnight sparkle of Dracula\u2019s black cape with its luxurious dark red accents are two of the most impactful costumes, but every one of the 150+ costumes are works of art unto themselves.<\/p>\n

Dracula expertly combines Victorian Gothic storytelling with neo-classical ballet, resulting in a beautifully uncanny and intensely emotional journey of significant aesthetic magnitude. It is appropriately vampiric, with lots of dramatic appearances in windows, enlarged shadows, and otherworldly movement.<\/p>\n

But Dracula\u2019s real power comes from the amalgamation of two classic art forms \u2013 ballet and literature \u2013 under the collaborative vision of world-class creatives and exquisite dancers.<\/p>\n

Dracula\u00a0is presented by West Australian Ballet in co-production with Queensland Ballet. It runs to 30 May at His Majesty\u2019s Theatre. 827 \u2013 905 Hay Street Perth WA 6000.<\/p>\n

Tickets: https:\/\/tickets.waballet.com.au\/events\/dracula<\/a><\/p>\n

Website:\u00a0https:\/\/waballet.com.au\/dracula<\/a><\/p>\n

Socials:\u00a0https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/waballet\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo credits: Jonathan VDK<\/p>\n

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