Dracula – Noel Coward Theatre – Saturday 11th April 2026

(Production Rated 4/5) (Cynthia Rated 7/5) How do I start with this one? Well, I guess it starts with my love of a green witch, Elphaba, who by being channelled by her, introduced me to the multi-talented Cynthia Erivo. Having seen her in the ‘Wicked’ films, read her book ‘Simply More’ – so well-written and inspiring in her warm, open and honest language on life-lessons from her own experiences – I felt curious to see her on stage. I’m not a huge ‘Dracula’ fan as such, though have inevitably seen a few versions one way or another. But I’m certainly fascinated by how a sole performer might convincingly play 23 characters and so tell a story in an exciting way. Some reviews didn’t seem to think this production – adapted from Bram Stoker’s book and directed by Kip Williams – had achieved that finding it dull and stilted. In fact, too close to the novel was a comment I spotted along the way. I haven’t read the book, but many would not find that a good critique as they’d love something faithful to the original! Mum!!😉 I confess I did enjoy, and found myself a little obsessed by the 1992 film ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with Gary Oldman in the title role. However, given personal circumstances which may well have meant I wouldn’t be able to get to see it anyway, and given what seemed to be about 50% poor reviews, I allowed my expectations to drop significantly, and let it go…

As fortune would have it, though, my operation was brought forward enabling me to go after all, in spite of the fact I had to be drained of 650ml of my own blood-tinged fluid the day before. Is that ironic, Alanis?! 😉 The Saturday morning, I felt nervous – my first trip properly out in weeks – and also so thrilled to be walking along St. Martin’s Lane! It simply felt amazing just to be doing normal things I enjoy – meeting up with a close friend and going to the theatre – any theatre, any show; good or bad. Just being in that moment of glorious living. That said, I was aware of slight anxiety that Cynthia would be indisposed and so not appear. (Looking at the programme and searching online afterwards, there didn’t seem to be an understudy or alternate – interesting in itself – I wonder what happens if she cannot perform). I really wanted to see and experience Cynthia up close and as personal as someone in multiple characters can be 😊 And right up as close as can be we were in front row stalls.

The production is very clever imho. Cynthia comes on stage and lies down on her back. On screen we then see her shake and tremble; twisting to and fro, as she splits into multiple selves who each head off stage to later return to play their parts. Some characters, and parts of others, are filmed in advance by Cynthia and the team. They then get displayed on screen alongside Cynthia in whatever part she is embodying live at that stage of the play. I guess the only difficulty with that technique, together with the way the book is written (journals, letters and reports in part), is that you can get a little lost with who is who, even though in the main Cynthia is dressed in specific costumes and wigs etc to distinguish them and plays each character distinctively in voice, manner, accent etc. There is a lot to learn – 1hr 50 mins, in fact, of pretty rapid dialogue as well as a multitude of business to do along the way. In interviews Cynthia has said she couldn’t pre-learn it all. In fact, the only way she found she could do so is by running it through with all her assistants on cameras or providing changes in costume and props. She is never really alone on stage, but even then, it’s quite amazing how many people join her at curtain call! She said they were immensely important in helping her know where she is in the play, and she was interacting with them, even though they said nothing. Cynthia wore her trademark long elegant nails – for this white – and apparently a variety of scents each for her representing the different characters. She has said she felt the most empathy for Mina -wife to Jonathan Harker, who opens the story with his visit to Dracula’s castle.

The whole production gripped me so entirely that I couldn’t have appreciated it more. I do think in part that was the head-space and state of emotion in which I was at the time. But, for me, Cynthia was so mesmerising and I was monumentally moved by her and the whole experience of life, death, undeath, love, passion, trauma in such a variety of characters encompassed by one person – oodles of symbolism in that I think and maybe the multiple personalities possible within us all to varying degrees faced with life’s dramas to encourage them emerge from us. Each of her performances was individual and sensational. She is so tiny and yet so powerful.

Another critique I read was that she only sings a very little. Well, this is not a musical, and her exquisite singing is used for a very specific purpose in this production. SPOILER ALERT: Do not read past this point if you don’t want to know… As we come to the end of the play, Cynthia is in the part of Dracula himself. Thus far we have only seen how Dracula’s already ‘turned’ vampires seduce their victims, not the Count himself. In character, though she does not tinge her voice with his accent, Cynthia sings “Come to me” – and it is so gorgeous and enticing, that, yes, she’d have me hook, line and sinker. I was shaking myself in floods of tears and clinging on to my friend in reaction to Cynthia Erivo – little powerhouse of humanity and talent with such an inspiring life force!

Dracula – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2026