CHAMBERSBURG – Red lights illuminate the darkness, and a slow fog rolls across the stage. Eerie music echoes in the auditorium, and dogs bark and howl in the background. The sick and weak Lucy Seward lies on the couch within the gothic stone walls of Seward Sanitarium. A handsomely dressed figure emerges from the shadows and stalks towards the unsuspecting girl. This is one of the bone-chilling scenes that audiences experience when they see Chambersburg Community Theatre’s “Dracula Live on Stage” at the Capitol Theatre on Main Street.
This classic Hamilton Deane adaptation of Bram Stoker’s horror masterpiece is brought to life with brilliant sets, atmospheric music and lighting, and a fantastic performance from the community theater cast. Deane’s compelling adaptation was first brought to the United States in 1930, when it opened in New York City.
The director of the show, Gary Brett, explained that it was the Deane adaptation that first introduced horror icon Bela Lugosi to the character on stage before he took the legendary role of the Count with Universal Studios.
For his stage version of “Dracula,” Brett had this to say, “I was worried about casting Dracula, had a few casting calls, and then Dusty read for it, and it worked.”
Dusty Martin plays the title role drawing on the inspiration of Bela Lugosi, using a Hungarian accent and dressed in traditional Count attire, complete with family clan necklace and cape. Often shrouded in red light from sound and lighting designer Chance Reecher, the presence of the Count is both foreboding and a bit romantic, much like master Lugosi’s performance.
“I used the red light to signal to the audience that Dracula was present, even when he wasn’t, and we used a spotlight to highlight his facial features when using hypnosis; it’s all about the little details,” Reecher explained.
Director Gary Brett made another bold statement by casting the roles of Van Helsing and Dr. Seward as female characters, as opposed to the traditional male roles. The feared vampire hunter Van Helsing is played by Sarah Beveridge and Beth Shupp-George plays Dr. Seward.
“They were both very talented and gave great auditions, but I only had two female roles in the script,” Brett explained. So, he changed the dynamics of the characters, and the two talented actresses put on stellar performances. “Sarah took the time to study several European dialects including Dutch, just to make the role more authentic,” Brett added proudly.
Another stand-out performance is that of the bug eating, former barrister, R.M. Renfield, played by Wyatt Boyer, a character who adds both suspense and a touch of humor as he continually escapes captivity from the bumbling watchman, Butterworth, played by Gregory Freeman. Renfield’s motivation to escape stems from a will to intervene in danger threatening the lovely Lucy, played by Alanna Funk, whose health is slowly declining under the curse of the Count.
Fighting to save her life and her soul is fiancé John Harker, played by Stephen Good. Along with Dr. Seward and Van Helsing, the trio race against time and powerful evil to prevent the tragic death of their loved one.
Gary Brett pulls double duty for the production as both director and set designer. The beautifully crafted sets add another dimension to the show by offering up a traditional gothic feel with a touch of colonial elegance. Joining his crew, Joellen Brezler serves as stage manager and Moira McClung as production manager, both of whom are also on the Board of Directors for the Chambersburg Community Theatre.
One of the most unique aspects to this production is the use of live music, provided by Jay Mocking Music, which is improvised with the action on stage, giving each performance an organic feel. “I just play what I feel when I read the script,” Jay explained. “I just try to add atmosphere, I am not trying to distract or be the center of attention.”
“Dracula” will be playing at the Capitol Theatre from Oct. 24–26 on Friday at 7 p.m., a double showing on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and then a final showing on Sunday at 2 p.m.. The Capitol Theatre is located at 159 S. Main St. #3, Chambersburg.
For more information about this show or upcoming shows, readers may visit the Chambersburg Community Theatre website at: www.cctonline.org or find them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ChbgCom Theatre.
All photo credits in this article attributed to: Brandon Tillman
