REVIEW: Dracula - Ghostlight Theatre Co.

Production: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Presented by: Ghostlight Theatre Co.

Venue: Crete St Theatre, Beenleigh

Date attended: 10 October 2026

Written by: William McNulty, adapted from Bram Stoker's novel

Director and Producer: Yasmin Elahi

Assistant Director / Sound Designer: Tommy Burnett

Set Design, Costumes, Props, Practical Effects: Yasmin Elahi

Lighting Designer: Willow Taylor

Fight Choreographer: Dan Pohlmann

Choreographer: Sarah Latter

Stage Manager / Practical Effects: Christina McMahon

SFX Makeup: Charlotte Horn

Photography: Christopher Sharman and Alan Burchill

Contains minor spoilers about character transformations and stage effects.

“We are all damned.”

Ghostlight Theatre Co. has a healthy appetite for theatrical horror. I've seen their previous four productions, including The Exorcist, and watched the company find all sorts of creative ways to torment its characters.

For their latest production, they've taken on Bram Stoker's Dracula, adapted by William McNulty and directed by Yasmin Elahi. It's their largest production to date, bringing towering monsters, supernatural illusions, and an alarming quantity of fake blood to Crete St Theatre. I dread to think how much laundry detergent they went through!

Something sinister is brewing in England. Mina is presumed dead after a mysterious illness, and now her best friend Lucy is suffering similar symptoms. Lucy is losing blood inexplicably, her fiancé Jonathan Harker has vanished, and Dr Seward is running out of answers. Meanwhile, there's been suspicious nocturnal activity since Count Dracula arrived in the neighbourhood. Professor Van Helsing is called in to investigate. Through detailed dialogue, journal entries, and flashbacks, McNulty gradually pieces together the horrors at play, echoing the storytelling structure of Stoker's original novel.

Reagan Warner fits the role of Count Dracula so perfectly that I wonder if he's truly human. His Dracula is calculating, with a piercing gaze that forebodes suffering for his victims. The deep timbre of his voice lends his Transylvanian accent a hypnotic quality. Reagan takes his time with everything, from the measured delivery of his lines to the slow, deliberate movements of a creature accustomed to having others at his mercy.

With pointed ears, red eyes, and elaborate crimson-and-black attire, Reagan looks every inch the vampire. His enormous cloak acts like an extension of himself (à la Doctor Strange), sweeping around him with every action. There's a wicked sense of humour in Reagan's performance too, but that vanishes when the Count is confronted with crucifixes and Latin prayers. Dracula erupts into a rage, all the more frightening after seeing him maintain such control.

If anyone can match Reagan's commitment to character, it's Rhys Schwarten as Renfield. With disheveled hair and filthy clothes, Rhys dives into the role of the self-proclaimed “garden variety raving lunatic” with fervent enthusiasm. They scurry around the stage like a rat, muttering riddles and occasionally erupting into chaotic fits. At other times, Renfield bumbles and bounces about like a mischievous leprechaun. He might even be entertaining company (if he'd just quit snacking on insects). Even when silent, Rhys is rarely motionless. Their fearful cowering and darting eyes reveal a mind pulled in two directions, unable to settle. It's a performance equal parts ridiculous and disturbing.

Andrew McArthur brings a contrasting calmness to Professor Van Helsing. His matter-of-fact delivery conveys a man who can recognise supernatural nonsense without becoming hysterical. Van Helsing listens, considers, and reads between the lines before anyone else catches up. There's considerable wit and intelligence in this restraint, particularly when dealing with Dracula. I enjoy watching Andrew meet every provocation with composure, which only aggravates Dracula further. Their showdowns are so entertaining precisely because neither is willing to concede an inch.

Brayden Rewald brings a surprisingly dry wit to Dr Seward, alongside a perpetually sour expression. As Lucy's unexplained blood loss leaves the doctor scrambling for answers, frustration creeps into Brayden's voice and movements. By the graveyard scene, his professional composure begins to unravel. Conventional medicine has hardly prepared him for this. Peter Van Werkhoven has less stage time as Jonathan Harker, but his expressive reactions convey plenty about the ordeal he's endured. Poor Jonathan is quite the damsel in distress, and Peter makes his desperation convincing.

Under Dracula's influence, Alynta Scott transforms Lucy from a sweet, innocent hostess into someone eerily unrecognisable. Alynta's altered posture, expressions, and voice give Lucy a siren-like allure with a sinister undertone. As she levitates (stage magic!), Alynta twists and bends at unnatural angles. I found myself genuinely tense in my seat, both from the unfolding body horror and from imagining what her back and neck must be enduring!

Jem Mook brings an unsettling physicality to Mina, particularly during a violent encounter with the Child (Alex Andrews). Set to the Moderato from Swan Lake, the scene pairs the graceful flute passages and balletic movements with swelling brass, piercing screams, and bloodshed. As the scene takes a dramatic turn, the little girl's innocence makes the sudden brutality all the more chilling.

Fiona Buchanan and Daniel Lewis provide a touch of comic relief and humanity as Sullivan and Briggs. Daniel's strong Cockney accent and Fiona's Irish characterisation add personality to their amusing disagreements. Briggs has the unenviable task of keeping Renfield under control, while Sullivan has enough trouble maintaining order in this household. When Dracula puts Sullivan under his spell, Fiona's sudden change in demeanour is particularly creepy. Neither character is being paid enough for what goes on at this establishment.

Across the company, the vocal work is excellent. Accents are sustained, enunciation is clear, and emotion comes through in everyone's delivery. I did occasionally wish that same intensity carried into the physical performances, particularly in confrontations that felt a bit restrained. Reagan and Rhys communicate so much through movement that the stiffer moments elsewhere are noticeable. A little more physical urgency and responsiveness between characters would've helped sustain the illusion of danger.

Yasmin Elahi has a hand in almost everything, from directing to designing the costumes, scenery, props, and practical effects. Yasmin's set accommodates several locations through tall scenic flats and substantial scene changes. A flashback transports us to Dracula's castle, complete with an imposing carved throne (that I wish we'd seen more of). The large backstage team deserves credit for keeping everything moving, particularly with so much stage magic to coordinate. And there's plenty of it! Wounds appear from nowhere, blood spurts onto the stage, bodies levitate into the air, and Dracula's coffin conceals a clever illusion. I caught sight of a blood pipe during one scene, but with everything else they're pulling off, I can forgive that! There's also a gigantic creature, performed by Matthew Nelson, whose shaggy silhouette towers over the cast. With grotesquely long limbs, jutting claws, and glowing red eyes, it's a rather spooky sight.

Willow Taylor's lighting keeps much of the stage appropriately dark. Spotlights pick out faces and figures from the shadows (when the performers find their light). Handheld flashlights leave stretches of the stage obscured so that we are left searching the darkness alongside the characters, knowing full well what might be lurking there. Saturated reds and icy blues transform the scenery, with the graveyard's cold glow contrasting sharply against Dracula's crimson world.

Tommy Burnett's sound design deserves particular praise for the tension it creates. Dracula's deep, hypnotic voiceovers draw Sullivan into a trance, while low hums creep beneath the dialogue and put us on edge. During blackouts and scene changes, layers of ominous sound fill the darkness, sustaining the suspense even when there's nothing to see. There are occasional technical interruptions, including mistimed cues, prop difficulties, and microphone issues that briefly expose the mechanics behind the illusions.

Despite its sinister intentions, Dracula has a slight playful streak amid all the bloodshed, particularly during the first half. Jokes about familiar vampire conventions, Reagan's dry delivery, Andrew's well-placed insults, and Rhys' peculiar behaviour bring plenty of chuckles. But the darker scenes are given room to become genuinely uncomfortable.

Having followed Ghostlight through four previous productions, I've enjoyed seeing just how far the company is willing to push its theatrical horror. And I suspect the cleaning crew is relieved Dracula's visit was only for four performances.