Dracula, The Musical
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Dracula, The Musical (2004) was a musical based on the original Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. It had a score composed by Frank Wildhorn, a composer best known for works such as "Jekyll and Hyde". It was originally premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse, and then moved to Broadway where it played at the Belasco Theater. There it starred Tom Hewitt and Melissa Errico as the frightening Count, and the woman he loves, Mina Harker, respectively. The show ran for very few performances, and received mainly negative reviews, which criticized it for lack of plot development, among other things.[citation needed] A brief nudity scene in which Dracula seduces Lucy Westerna (played by Kelli O'Hara) received much publicity, as did the show's numerous and spectacular special effects. The show later went to Europe, where it is currently playing.[1]
The first amateur production of the musical debuted at Kelsey Theater in Hamilton Township, New Jersey on the Mercer County Community College campus in October 2006.
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[edit] Plot
Jonathan Harker, a young lawyer from England, travels to Transsylvania in order to fix a deal with Count Dracula, who wants to buy a home in London. However, the Count notices a picture of Jonathan's fianceé Mina Murray, which seems to have a strange effect on him. Harker's stay int he remote castle is turning more and more into a nightmare. Harker manages to escape - after being bitten by his host - to Budapest. Mina is travelling to him and marries him, while Mina's friend Lucy is marrying Arthur in London.
In the meantime, Dracula has reached London and starts searching for victims. He contacts Renfield and promises him eternal life in exchange for his service. His first victim is Lucy, who dies soon after he bites her. Even the renowned vampire expert Van Helsing cannot help her anymore. Lucy, however, turns into a vampire herself and - with the assistence of Dr. Van helsing- is being killed by her former love interests, Quincey and Jack, in her tomb.
Mina feels a strange attraction to the Count. Torn between her fear and love she eventually invites him to come in. Dracula lets her taste his blood, intending to turn her into a vampire as well. Later on, he has to excape from London, because the vampire hunters are closing in on him. His enemies follow him. They take Mina with them, who is connected to the Count telepathically.
At the Count's Castle, the final showdown takes place. While the vampire hunters fight with an entire army of vampires, Mina now decides to follow her beloved Dracula into the darkness. But Dracula realizes that this should not be Mina's fate. He asks Mina to release him from his doomed existence. With tears running down her eyes, she fulfils her lover's last wish. [2]
[edit] Songs in the Broadway Production
1. Prologue
2. Quiet Life
3. Over Whitby Bay
4. Forever Young
5. Fresh Blood
6. The Master's Song
7. How Do You Choose?
8. The Mist
9. Modern World
10. A Perfect Life
11. Funeral March
12. Life After Life
13. The Heart is Slow to Learn
15. The Master's Song (Reprise)
16. If I Could Fly
17. Deep in the Darkest Night
18. Before the Summer Ends
19. Hypnotism/Life After Life (Reprise)
20. The Longer I Live
21. Finale: There's Always a Tomorrow
[edit] Sources
- ^ http://www.frankwildhorn.com/projects/dracula/productions.shtml
- ^ http://www.freewebs.com/draculascript/
