At the Mercury Theatre even my Fever-Tree Premium Indian Tonic Water (accompanying my Bombay Sapphire gin) didn't want to be stored in direct sunlight. It was the beginning of things to come...
Dracula the Untold Story (an Imitating the Dog and Leeds Playhouse co-production), was playing for two days only at our regional theatre. As usual I opted for a matinée performance (not wanting to walk back to my residence in the dark, well you never know do you).
The story, well I'll not reveal the plot, but it successfully gives a fresh insight into the Dracula myth.
Through a clever use of digital technology, cameras, projection, comic strip imagery, a multilingual performance and superb acting, the 'real' story of the 'Prince of Darkness' and his ending splattered blood across ben day dot images and a complicated storyline beginning and ending in 1965, with diversions in and out of time and of London.
The 'Untold Story' weaves a fable from Bram Stoker through to Maroto's New English Library comic book and strip Dracula, to ITV's The Sweeney, conjuring Parisian silent film and Fascism in a sanguine world of horror on the way.
Slightly into the second half of this riveting play a loud noise had us all intrigued. At first we (the audience) imagined it to be part of the play. Maybe something to do with the Marylebone Station setting in what could easily have been a modern day Dadaist reference. The play stopped.
We were requested to leave our seats and step outside in the grey British autumn as per fire drill. After the all clear it was disclosed that preparations for an adjacent flower show had involved smoke. This had tripped the Theatre's fire alarm. It was real and not part of the plot.
Riana Duce as Mina Harker, Matt Prendergast as Multiple Characters and Adela Rajnovic also as Multiple Characters gave a stupendous performance. Made even more stellar by their quick recovery after the false fire alarm could have knocked them off their stride. It didn't. The show did indeed go on to the immense credit of all staff and players at the Mercury Theatre Colchester.
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