Dracula Lyric Hammersmith Review: Mina 'bites back' in female revival of Dracula in London
This adaptation of the Gothic horror puts women at the heart of this classic tale.
The Lyric Hammersmith is currently hosting a new reimagining of Dracula, inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic novel.
Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and directed by Emma Baggott, this inventive production unfolds as a play within a play, told through the perspectives of Stoker’s bold female characters and their encounters with the infamous vampire.
From the outset, Mina (Umi Myers) commands the stage, recounting her memories through diary entries and letters as the sole survivor of the ordeal. She travels from town to town with a female and non-binary chorus, warning others of his evil, though it quickly becomes clear that their intentions, and identities are far more complicated.
Malcolm’s adaptation refocuses the story on women’s voices as we meet Mina’s closest friend Lucy (Mei Mac), whose fate is sealed early in the narrative. Mina’s inability to move on from Lucy’s death is deeply affecting, particularly as the play gestures towards a love between them that, in their time, would have been forbidden. While this suggestion is only briefly explored before the story presses on, it adds poignant layers to Mina’s grief.
As the play progresses, the revelation that Mina and her chorus are not who they appear to be reframes the narrative. Their warnings of Dracula’s corruption transform into an allegory for male violence and predation, exposing the darker truths of modern-day society.
Though Mina warns the audience from the start that she cannot guarantee their safety, the staging doesn’t always live up to the threat. Demonic apparitions and an 80's boombox voiceover sometimes slip into pantomime territory, lessening the sense of terror. Still, the injections of humour provide a welcome counterbalance to the gothic intensity of Mina’s tale.
The show is a well-paced, straight-through 1 hour and 45 minutes, concluding with its chilling message of revenge and seeking justice no matter the cost.
Dracula runs at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith until Saturday 11 October.