Theatre review: Dracula (Lyric Hammersmith)

We've already had a camp comedy version this year, a starry monologue version is coming to the West End in 2026, and in between the two we get the feminist version of Bram Stoker's Dracula courtesy of Morgan Lloyd Malcolm at the Lyric Hammersmith. Lloyd Malcolm's premise is that the original novel's story hinges on a couple of memorable women, but does tend to sideline what they actually think or say about the gothic horror story they've found themselves in, in favour of the men presenting themselves as heroes who save the day. Mina (Umi Myers) here becomes the narrator in a framing device that keeps breaking wide open: She tells us she's the sole survivor of the original story, touring the world with this cautionary stage show in which her troupe of actors play all the other roles.

They do sometimes seem to get a bit confused about whether they're actors or the real people they're playing though, especially Jonathan Harker (Jack Myers,) who sometimes recounts the story of visiting a Transylvanian castle for work, only to be held prisoner there by the titular vampire; at other times seems possessed by memories which aren't really his, even losing consciousness when they become too much.

Mina herself is also prone to breaking out of her narrative, believing that this performance is different, and that there's a presence in the building she hasn't felt for a long time. She impatiently rushes Jonathan through his part of the story because it's clear from the start that she cares very little for her fiancé, but is actually in love with her lifelong friend Lucy (Mei Mac.)

This is less an adaptation of Dracula and more of a commentary on it: The show assumes the audience is already familiar with the story and its major events - probably true but still, this doesn't make for clear storytelling - deconstructing what they actually mean when stripped of Stoker's romanticised interpretation. Particularly brutal is the treatment of Lucy once Dracula starts visiting her at night, with no sugarcoating of the sexual assault that leaves her traumatised.

Phoebe Naughton plays Van Helsing, Macy Seelochan Arthur and B Terry an entertainingly jittery Renfield, the three of them also covering all other roles. Notably absent is the title character, who only ever appears as a recorded voice: The play expands on the contradictory descriptions in the original to suggest Dracula appears different to every character, possibly taking a form that reflects their greatest fears; so we never get to see a definitive version of him.

For all the interesting ideas Emma Baggott's production struggles to establish an atmosphere. The constant breaking away from the main story for metatextual asides means the gothic horror itself is never creepy enough, while despite the heavy hints from the start as to just why Mina's outlived everyone by so many decades, the framing device is a bit too stark and brightly lit to provide the scares in its stead. Meanwhile the whole thing's a little too arch to take itself entirely seriously, but not camp enough to actually provide many funny moments. So we're left with an unusual, frustrating show full of interesting ideas but no consistent tone; the real horrors of women being abused and silenced are never far from the surface, but the fantasy horrors of a demonic creature terrorising the Yorkshire coast aren't conjured up here.

Dracula by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, is booking until the 11th of October at the Lyric Hammersmith.

Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes straight through.

Photo credit: Marc Brenner.