Beauty and the bite: Dracula summons the masses to the Festival theatre
Big Lives’ Dracula at the Festival Theatre is ballet for people who don’t usually go to the ballet, and honestly that’s part of its charm. The audience turned up in black satin, lace, velvet and general vampiric enthusiasm, which already set the tone for a night that felt more gothic funfair than highbrow dance temple. It’s a paint by numbers ballet in many ways, but a very enjoyable one, and a great introduction for newcomers who want spectacle without needing a PhD in nineteenth century choreography.
The absolute stars of the show were the four ghoul women, the trapped spirits of Dracula’s castle. Their movement was sharp, eerie and beautifully controlled, with a floating quality that felt straight out of Giselle. Every time they drifted onstage the atmosphere shifted from campy gothic romp to something genuinely haunting. Each dancer brought something distinct, and together they were mesmerising. If Big Lives ever decides to stage a ballet entirely about them, I’d happily watch two hours of ghostly wafting.
The rest of the choreography had its moments, though Act I did lean heavily on repeated lifts. Impressive, yes, but after a while you start thinking you’ve unlocked a secret loop in the choreography. The corps de ballet were barely seen, which felt like a missed opportunity, and when they did appear the unison was occasionally a little soft around the edges, with legs at slightly different angles and timing that didn’t always land cleanly. Nothing disastrous, but noticeable.
Costuming was a mixed bag. Dracula looked great, but several of the townsfolk bodices seemed to be waging private battles with gravity, and a few wigs were so questionable they could have been supernatural entities in their own right. Distracting, but also unintentionally entertaining.
The lighting and stage effects were far more successful. Dramatic washes of red and shadow created a satisfyingly grim atmosphere, and the wire work was a crowd pleaser. Dracula swooping in from above was pure theatre, and the moment when slain bodies were dragged across the stage by invisible forces was a clever bit of stagecraft. There were times when a touch more under light would have helped reveal the detail of Dracula’s solos, but the overall effect was strong.
The music was a playlist of classical crowd pleasers, including Bach’s Toccata and Fugue, which earned a ripple of delighted recognition from the audience. The downside was the soundtrack format, which meant pauses between tracks that occasionally felt too long. Without a live orchestra to blame for page turns, the gaps became more noticeable, and sometimes broke the tension just as it was building.
Jonathan and Mina, danced by unknown and Abbey Hansen, were a genuinely compelling pair. Their duets were tender and expressive, and they anchored the story with real emotional clarity, even when the plot itself wandered into slightly odd territory. The whole thing has a touch of Rocky Horror meets Beauty and the Beast, minus the talking furniture and plus a lot more neck biting.
The story rattles along at speed. We begin with Vlad the warrior losing his love, dabbling in witchcraft and becoming Dracula. Then Jonathan and Mina, newlyweds and very much in love, head off on their honeymoon and inexplicably wander into the nearest ominous castle. Before they can get down to any marital business, the ghoul women separate them and summon the master of the house. Dracula sees Mina, notices she resembles his lost love, bites Jonathan, tries to keep Mina, fails, and chaos ensues. Mina dies, Jonathan takes her body home, rallies the villagers, storms the castle, and everything ends in a bloodbath until Mina’s spirit returns to sort things out before dying again. The moral is simple: book a hotel. Do not wander into a stranger’s castle for a romantic night and expect it to go well.
Despite its quirks, Dracula is a fun, atmospheric night out. It’s bold, dramatic and full of crowd pleasing moments, even if it isn’t the most polished ballet you’ll ever see. The audience loved it, the energy was high, and the ghoul women alone were worth the ticket. Long live the ghostly quartet and their impeccably pointed toes.
Keep an eye out for future Big Live productions as this company are sure to bring more fantasy to a stage near you soon!