Dracula (touring) ★★★★

Dracula’s fixation on Mina Harker is framed as a psychological one; she reminds him of a centuries-old love that he had as a young man. Dracula has surrounded himself with a quartet of ghost women, the spirits of women that have died resisting his love, and commands them to lure the Harkers away from each other. When Jonathan Harker and Dracula battle in a spectacularly choreographed sequence, it is Mina who makes one crucial decision – ending the narrative herself.

How does Big Live’s Dracula execute these key differences in the plot? Through immaculate choreography that uses the language of ballet to convey symbolism. Choreographer Joel Burke depicts Dracula’s external mask struggling against his wounded interior, with a shift from confident pique turns to smaller, quieter movements where he simply sits on stage.

This is assisted by a fabulous performance by Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, whose Dracula is youthful and crazed; his facial expressions portray a brooding sensitivity not often captured by other, famous depictions of the character. Meaghan Grace Hinkis stuns as Mina Harker. In one particularly poignant moment, she is lifted by Dracula and held for at least twenty seconds. Her body language shows a physical harmony with the vampire, but her facial expressions suggest fear.

Potentially stealing the show and demonstrating the production’s emphasis on atmosphere and dread are the quartet of Dracula’s ghosts. Featured often in the marketing, the performances do not disappoint. Standing en pointe for the whole performance, these performers evoke the weightlessness of ghosts, and their synchronised movements are genuinely eerie.