#wildhorn

Musicals - December 2001 / January 2002

hOnK hOnK!

Dracula das Musical (Left is Graz, 2007; Right is St. Gallen, 2005)

First of all, I really like this musical. HOWEVER, I have some Things To Say about how the seduction scene was staged in the Graz production. Somehow in two years Dracula went from being a Softe Boy in Love™ to Weird Obsessive Vampire Who Thinks This Is What Love Is™. Our man Tommy B was Dracula in both of these, so this is purely staging & direction.

First row: Idk about y’all, but I find a passionate kneeling embrace way more compelling than a single hand grab, and apparently so did Mina.

Second row: Bridal carries are all well and good, but there’s something really sweet about how how in the St. Gallen version he stayed kneeling until it was clear she was inviting him over. INVITING him, as in an invitation, as in Dracula was waiting for that invitation like the good vampire he is.

Third row: There’s a HUGE difference in the staging of Mina’s reciprocal ‘bite,’ not to mention the attention placed on Dracula slicing his chest open for her (ah, ~romance~). The Graz version completely glossed it over and almost immediately had Dracula pull her head down, which... I guess? Whereas in St. Gallen, Dracula had his big moment of vulnerability, AND Mina was acting of her own accord and clearly wanted this (if we ignore the whole ‘the mist is clouding my mind’ thing).

SO! The Graz staging gave Mina WAY less agency overall, and made it seem more like a conquest than a seduction, which tbh is kind of how it felt throughout the show. Graz... I love you, but I have many questions.