Shirley Lorraine –
The Halloween offering of Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, currently playing on the Ojai Art Center Theater stage, provides 90 minutes of high camp and non-stop laughs. Ably directed by Kimberly Demmary (quickly reaching the status of queen of farce, in my opinion), the play “really sucks.” I mean that in a good, vampirish way.
From the minute one enters the theater, it is easy to discern that this will be an unusual experience. The set is aglow with neon edging. Slightly jarring music fills the ears. The pre-show recorded announcements set the tone for laughter right away.
If you were able to catch Ojai’s last show, Young Frankenstein, you have already had a primer for where this script is taking you – playing up the absurdity, audaciousness, and irreverence of this classic vampire story. The tale is embellished to an elevated degree in almost every way possible. Hailed as “a gothic blend of Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and RuPaul,” you get the idea quickly where this is going.
A “let’s do this” cast of five fills out all the roles – both primary and ancillary – with the full buy-in of the audience. The entire cast is “all in” and over the top.
Fresh off Young Frankenstein, evan austin takes on the dual roles of Mina and Dr. Van Helsing, further developing and displaying his comedy chops in both personas.
Count Dracula himself is played by Tyler Gilbert, with a twinkle in his eye and a nod to Cary Elwes’ Westley of The Princess Bride. He is captivating as well as fearless. He is also the only cast member who plays a single role.
Ojai stage regular Anna Kotula embodies several characters, including that of the mental patient Renfield, with a penchant for insects and creepy crawlies. Dawn Michelle also carries more than one quirky character, as does Nicholis Sheley. All are having an obvious blast being wild and wicked.
Special mention must go to the set designer, lighting designer, and costumer for framing the work and the actors so well across the board. Creativity has exploded in the Art Center this season – especially.
The play comes with a “for mature audiences” warning due to many highly suggestive inferences and actions. For those easily offended, you may want to wait for the next production of Annie.
But if you just want to laugh – and can enjoy the generous helping of outrageous, tongue-in-cheek bawdiness – come on over to the Art Center and challenge yourself to see how many off-hand references you can catch. It’s a scavenger hunt for the mind that’s well worth the effort. You may even want to see it twice to catch what you missed the first time – because you were laughing too hard.
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors continues performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. through October 19 at the Ojai Art Center Theater, 113 S. Montgomery Street, Ojai.805-604-8797. www.ojaiact.org.
