Theatre review: Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors

PREVIEW DISCLAIMER: This review is of the final preview performance.

Whatever the clichés might say, US and UK humour do generally travel fairly well between sides of the Atlantic, although I personally find that the sillier brand of comedy can be more hit and miss in its travels. We've already had one demented New York spoof hit the right mark in London this year with Titaníque, so could a second work the same trick? Well, maybe not quite as successfully, but Gordon Greenberg (also directing) and Steve Rosen's camp take on Bram Stoker definitely has its moments. Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors takes the basic elements of the classic vampire story, changes them and swaps a couple of characters' names around for no discernible reason, and after a shaky start has a lot of fun to offer. Charlie Stemp plays a particularly timid and gormless Jonathan Harker, the English estate agent on a journey to sell London property to a Transylvanian noble.

Theatre review: Young Frankenstein

Mel Brooks' musical adaptation of his own classic film The Producers was a Broadway and West End smash hit, so it was no surprise that the same creative team would try to follow it up. But giving Young Frankenstein the same treatment resulted in an overblown flop, which is why it's taken a decade to cross the Atlantic. But in that time Brooks has continued to work on it, and although I don't have anything to compare it to the version that director/choreographer Susan Stroman has brought to London is, although problematic, hugely entertaining and crowd-pleasing. If one of the criticisms of the 2007 production was that it was too much of a big-budget juggernaut, that's been amended: Although there's a large cast with a vast amount of costume changes (designed by William Ivey Long,) Beowulf Boritt's set tends for a more old-fashioned look with curtain backdrops, and the whole show has a music-hall feel.

Theatre review: Whisper House

The venue formerly known as the St James Theatre has been bought by Dr Baron Dame Sir Andrew Lloyd Lord Webber BA (Hons) MEng, QC, MD to stage new musicals and, presumably on the basis that it being hidden in a back street wasn't obstacle enough to audiences finding it, has been renamed The Other Palace. A nod, I guess, to it being between the Victoria Palace and Buckingham Palace, but with there actually being two Palace Theatres in London already, one of them down the road, that technically makes this The Other, Other, Other Palace. In any case, everyone seems to read it as The Other Place, which is yet another theatre entirely, so basically what I'm saying is good luck with the #brand recognition, guys. Anyway, my first trip there since the name change is to a musical from Spring Awakening and American Psycho songwriter Duncan Sheik, but Whisper House is a much less explosive affair than either of those two.

Theatre review: Master Class

Last summer I went on holiday to New York, where one of the Broadway shows I had the option of seeing was Tyne Daly in Master Class. I picked something else instead, and regretted it when I got back, as Sharon Gless' A Round-Heeled Woman a couple of months back meant I could have seen both Cagney and Lacey on stage within a few months of each other. As it turns out, skipping Master Class in New York was the right move, because it's made the trip over here to the Vaudeville Theatre, so I got to complete the set on my home turf. And while Christine's show had its moments, Mary Beth's is in a different league. Terrence McNally's play looks at Maria Callas, taking inspiration from master classes she genuinely held in New York in 1970 after her singing career ended, and creating a fictionalised version of one that casts a light on the legendary Greek singer. Callas (Daly) may no longer be opera's biggest star but she's still every inch the diva, refusing to remember the session pianist's (Jeremy Cohen) name and criticising those members of the audience she can see for failing to come up with a unique sartorial look. Over the course of the show she also coaches three aspiring singers (Dianne Pilkington, Garrett Sorenson and Naomi O'Connell) in how to perform the arias, understanding the specific demands of the role and investing it with emotion, rather than just singing with technical excellence.

Daly gives a scenery-chewing performance but of course this is a role that demands nothing less. Callas' unforgiving comments come from a genuine desire to help her students, but the one-liners McNally provides her with still serve their purpose of being hugely entertaining. There's also the odd bitch about other opera stars (a student mentions Joan Sutherland - "Please! We must not talk about my colleagues! She tried her best.") It's all delivered with great timing, Daly shooting some looks as withering as her put-downs. The supporting cast are happy to be the foils for the central performance (as well as providing some of the live operatic singing the diva is no longer able to showcase.)

My only niggle with the play is with the moments (one in each act) where an aria transports Callas back to the time in her life she herself played that role. We see her re-enacting scenes with her first husband as well as her most famous lover, Aristotle Onassis. Though these are still well done they are a bit too long and ultimately I didn't think they were necessary - as if the playwright thought he'd be criticised if he missed out the odd flashback. In fact the play is at its best in the titular master class, offering not a biography but a very telling portrait, her occasional offhand comments about growing up in Greece during the War providing a wealth of understated background. The play has a topical heart about how art isn't easy but it is important, but it's wrapped up in a show that's entertaining and frequently laugh-out-loud funny - this is one transfer from Broadway that's very welcome.

Master Class by Terrence McNally is booking until the 28th of April at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes including interval.