The original debut of Dracula was in 1977 staring the dreamy Frank Langella. It was a wonderful play adaption of the book written by Bram Stoker. Due to the vampire fad of the 21st century caused by books like Twilight and Vampire Diaries, Dracula was brought back to the stage, hoping for lively audiences awaiting a sexy Count Dracula.
Girls wooing over Edward Cullen or Stefan Salvatore would be disappointed with this 
performance. Count Dracula, played by Michel Altieri, was not dreamy or sexy. His strong Italian accent (this was his American debut) was distracting, along with his bad wig. The chemistry between the Count and Lucy (Emily Bridges) was lacking, not quite climaxing at a final scene where he finally bites her. Comparing it to the previous showing in 1977, there was no erotic scene on a bed, but rather a hokey waltz that looked a bit sloppy ending with Dracula ripping his shirt off to expose his chest.
George Hearn played Van Helsing, the expert on the supernatural. He is most known for his starring, Emmy winning role in Sweeney Todd. His acting in this play was not as dramatic as when he was cutting people’s throats.
I would say the best character in the play was 
Renfield, played by John Buffalo Mailer, a crazed patient staying with Dr. Seward. He put the most emotion into his performance out of the entire cast. He played the role of a crazy southern man very well. Renfield was also the only character involved in a daunting climb down a wall (special effects!).
Overall, the play lacked suspense and drama. Those hoping for something similar to modern day vampire adaptations will be disappointed as well as those used to the classics. I did attend a preview, so they were probably still working out the kinks.
Dracula
Little Shubert Theatre
December 26, 2010
Marina B. Nebro
