What do a vampire, a beatboxer, and a solicitor from London have in common? They’re about to take the stage together for Park Theatre’s last show of the year this Christmas.
Dracapella, a comic musical retelling of the Dracula tale, is running from 3 December to 17 January at the Finsbury Park theatre.
Jez Bond, founder and artistic director of Park Theatre, said that the play is an alternative Christmas show geared towards families: “The audience is going to have a really good time, and they’re going to leave singing the tunes, remembering the gags, and telling all their friends they’ve got to see Dracapella.”
“It’s a very different thing to have this time of year,” Monique Ashe-Palmer, actress in Dracapella, said. “It’s spooky and dark, but fun.” Set in Transylvania, the show takes off when Harker, the London solicitor from the original story, attempts to sell a castle to a mysterious client.
Mr Bond said the show was “phenomenally difficult to cast” – all the actors had to be singers who could do the entire show acappela. The production’s acting line-up includes the UK’s current beat-boxing champion, ABH Beatbox, and actress Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman film.
Ms Ashe-Palmer said the most challenging part of acting in the production has been the use of physical comedy and speaking in different accents. Each actor plays multiple characters and the element of surprise is one of the most appealing parts of the show.
“Everyone should come and watch it!,” Ms Ashe-Palmer said.
Journalist & MA Newspaper Journalism candidate at City, St George’s University of London. After six years in Washington, D.C., I bring a U.S. regional perspective to national and international reporting. My writing spans politics, policy, global affairs, and social issues. I’m passionate about telling stories that cross borders and lift community voices that are often underrepresented in the global conversation.