By Theatre in the Park Producing Artistic Director Tim Bair
Every once in a while, we like to do something a little different at Theatre in the Park.
And this fall… different has fangs, and no singing or dancing. But don’t be sad. We’ve just replaced that stuff with absurdity.
Coming up? “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen… a wildly theatrical, very loose retelling of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” And when we say “very loose,” we mean somebody apparently read the original novel and then said, “Yes. But what if everyone were ridiculous?”
There are, of course, all the regulars… Dracula, Jonathan Harker, Lucy, Mina, and Van Helsing. There’s blood, thunder, mysterious illnesses, and all the other things one reasonably expects from a vampire story.
This time, though, just for a little intrigue, Dracula is kind of a… well… sexually charged glamorous bad boy. Another worthy trade-off for the song and dance.
The play tells you exactly what kind of evening you’re in for almost immediately. Four actors enter with enormous copies of “Dracula” and solemnly announce that they are about to explore bloodthirsty monsters, helpless victims, life, death, and the human condition… and then somebody points out that there’s also “a hot guy who takes off his shirt.”
Books down. We have our theme.
One of the best things about the show is that there are only five actors. Five.
Dracula remains Dracula, because apparently eternal life also comes with excellent job security.
Everybody else is changing characters at a bloody alarming rate. One minute they’re respectable Victorian citizens. The next they’re servants, doctors, sailors, wolves… whatever the evening requires.
And that’s really where much of the fun lives. Costumes change. Accents change. Characters appear and vanish. The theatrical machinery starts showing a little… and instead of hiding it, the show winks at you and keeps going. It doesn’t pretend there are 20 people onstage. It says, “We have five actors, some costumes, a lot of confidence and very little shame. Watch this.”
That’s “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.”
Fast. Campy. A little naughty. Very silly. It knows the story you think you know… and then proceeds to misbehave with it.
So, this fall, we’re doing something a little different at Theatre in the Park. No chorus line. No eleven-o’clock ballad. Just five actors, one very attractive vampire, and a rapidly deteriorating sense of dignity.
Honestly… what more could you want?
“Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors,” will be presented 11 times at The Black Box Theatre located inside the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center. Each show will last about 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission. Evening performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. are planned for Oct. 3, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17. Afternoon performances at 2 p.m. are planned for Oct. 4, 11, 17, and 18. There’s also one 11:59 performance on Friday, Oct. 9. Interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing will be present for the 7:30 p.m. performance on Oct. 17.
Tickets for evening performances are $20 for adults 11 to 59 and $18 for ages 60 and older, and tickets for afternoon shows are 15% off. These prices are before taxes and fees.
The house opens 30 minutes before show time. Seating is assigned at time of ticket purchase. Tickets are available anytime online at theatreinthepark.org/purchase-arts-and-heritage-center-tickets, or can be purchased at JCAHC during regular hours. The TIP Box Office at the front desk of JCAHC opens at 6:30 p.m. on performance nights and 1 p.m. for matinees.
Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center is located at 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park.
