Theater Reviews : Theatrical Transfusion : Musical ‘Dracul’ Premieres in San Diego, Breathing New Life Into the Hoary Story

“Dracul,” a new musical at the Lyceum Stage, surprises. Pleasurably.

No small feat when you’re dealing with a legend as hoary as this one. Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula,” which reaches its centennial in 1997, drew on centuries of bloodsucking folklore and paranoia about devils in our midst.

It’s been performed hundreds of times on film and stage to frighten, amuse or titillate. Now we have Dracula (sexy Jeffrey Meek)--or Count Vlad de Dracul as he is called here--singing and dancing and taking himself very seriously indeed. And the crazy thing is, itworks.

“Dracul” opens spookily in a haunted graveyard, as a dream sequence of one of the count’s victims-in-the-making, the lovely Lucy (Danielle Forsgren). It’s a premonition of things to come for Lucy, and it segues, neatly, into a ballroom where Lucy is hosting a lavish party for her engaged friend, Mina (Nell Balaban), soon fated to be the new focus of theCount’s attentions.

Composer Kerry Michael Warren aggressively sets the tone in the ballroom with guests dancing as they sing about dark desires lurking beneath bright exteriors. Warren’s lyrics, co-written with the show’s book writer, Laura Preble, pit civilized repression against passion and freedom. It’s a theme that builds as the various characters are torn between these poles.

Under Sam Woodhouse’s silky direction, the show actually manages to avoid camp, although sometimes it veers away so barely that you can see the skid marks.

Like most world premieres, this one needs work, and according to producer Thomas Muehlbauer, it is getting it. Script changes elaborating the Count’s obsession with Mina were going in as recently as last week.

Yet even on opening night, this show radiated a larger-than-life “Phantom of the Opera” chemistry. Part of the credit no doubt goes to the development team of Anthony Castro (former music director and principal conductor of the original productions of “Phantom of the Opera” and “Miss Saigon”) and Jonathan Sacks (orchestrator of scores to “Robin Hood,” “Guarding Tess” and “The Last Action Hero”).

But most of the talented hands-on team is home-grown. John Malashock, of Malashock Dance & Company, created choreography that eloquently paints pictures of the characters’ inner lives. John Redman, general manager of the San Diego Rep, designed a series of sets that enlarge the Lyceum’s already cavernous Lyceum Stage as they whisk the action from ballroom to bedroom to asylum to the Count’s forbidding Carfax Abbey.

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In fact, the main thing the sets lack apropos to the spectaculars the show clearly pays homage to is a gimmick--the crashing chandelier of “The Phantom,” the helicopter landing onstage in “Miss Saigon.”

Maybe the Count could metamorphose into a real bat.

Sandra Forsgren’s luscious period costumes--lavishly Victorian for the upper class and deliciously ragged for the lost souls--linger in the imagination. Jose Lopez’s extravagant lighting punctuates the theme of darkness and light with exclamation points.

Then there’s the cast. The tall, ever-smiling Meek exudes a hypnotic animal-like grace. Danielle Forsgren’s rich soprano explores the operatic hope and despair in Lucy’s torn soul.

Balaban captures the sweet vulnerability of Mina. But both Balaban and Meek need to make the depth of their passion for each other more convincing--it is on that plot point that everything hinges.

Doren Elias’ manic, sardonic turn as Renfield, the Count’s disciple confined to an asylum, brings the house down with one of the show’s best numbers, “Phobia.” In a show as deadly serious about itself as this one, Elias’ performance and the role of sarcastic observer deserve expansion.

After it closes at the Lyceum, “Dracul” will play Oct. 17 through 29 at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts as a joint production of Muehlbauer’s FBN Productions and the Poway theater. Muehlbauer said he is in negotiations to take the show to Stage West in Toronto the mid-November.

The show deserves notice, particularly from regional companies starved for new, quality musicals. And given the way it thrilled its opening-night crowd here, the show--or at least the team that created it--might have a very bright future indeed.

* “Dracul,” Lyceum Stage, 79 Horton PLaza, San Diego. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Aug. 27. $19.50 to $34.50. (619) 235-8025. Running time: 2 hours, 21 minutes.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Nell Balaban: Mina Murray

Danielle Forsgren: Lucy Westenra

Jeffrey Meek: Count Vlad de Dracul

Doren Elias: Renfield, the Minister

Bryan Charles Feldman: Jonathan Harker

Bruce McKenzie: Dr. Jack Seward

Patrick Nollet: Dr. Abraham Van Helsing

An FBN Production of a new musical, composed by Kerry Warren and written by Laura Preble with lyrics by Warren and Preble. Directed by Sam Woodhouse. Choreography: John Malashock and Debi Toth. Arrangements: Jonathan Sacks. Musical direction: William Doyle. Sets: John Redman. Costumes: Sandra Forsgren. Lights: Jose Lopez. Sound: Jeff Ladman and Tony Tait. Makeup: Dawn Forsgren. Stage manager: Diana J. Moser.