EXCLUSIVE: Depraved’s Cynthia Erivo will play Bram Stoker’s demonic vampire and 22 different roles in Dracula, a one-woman theatrical extravaganza set for subsequent yr in London’s West Finish, from the creatives and producers behind Sarah Snook’s Broadway and London triumph The Image of Dorian Grey.
Stoker’s gothic shocker explores the darkish corners of Victorian-age sexuality, concern and need. The story, first printed in 1897, is each alluring and horrifying, stuffed with terrifying and dreamlike imagery.
Dracula, tailored and directed by Kip Williams, marks Oscar-nominated Erivo’s return to the stage for the primary time since her Tony Award-winning function as Celie in The Coloration Purple, which she starred in for 2 years in New York earlier than exiting in January 2017. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Artwork-trained artist performed Celie in London, and honed her craft in a number of performs and musicals within the UK earlier than relocating to the U.S.
The Sydney Theatre Firm manufacturing of Dracula will play the Cameron Waterproof coat-owned Noel Coward Theatre for a restricted 16-week engagement February 4-Could 31, 2026.
Courtesy Michael Cassel/Adam Kenwright
Michael Cassel, producer and CEO of Australia’s Michael Cassel Group, and Adam Kenwright, a high London and Broadway producer and ace worldwide advertising guru, reunite to provide the STC manufacturing as they did with Dorian Grey, which they took to London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket and the Music Field, the place it runs till June 29.
Confirming the Dracula information solely to Deadline, Cassel says “the celebs have aligned and we’ve obtained an incredible actor in Cynthia to hitch us.”
The preliminary method to Erivo was made 9 months in the past in the midst of the hectic world promotional tour for Depraved.
Buoyed by Erivo’s curiosity, Cassel and Kenwright moved with acceptable supernatural pace to hook up the London-born star with Williams. He confirmed her archival video of the STC manufacturing of Dracula that performed Sydney’s Roslyn Packer Theatre for 4 weeks final yr with Aussie actress Zehra Newman taking part in the nocturnal fiend.
Williams spoke with Erivo about what he phrases “cine-theatre,” the place actors work together with dwell and pre-recorded video feeds.
Later, Erivo noticed Snook’s efficiency, now Tony-nominated, on the Music Field and visited together with her afterwards. Clearly, that present’s vastly completely different from Dracula, however it enabled Erivo to examine how Williams levels his interactive work with digital camera operators transferring with balletic grace throughout the stage as an artist performs a number of roles.
Sarah Snook in ‘The Image of Dorian Grey’
Marc Brenner
“She has actually spent most of her time with Kip simply speaking by the inspiration and the dramaturgy of all of it. For them to attach in that approach has been necessary for them as a result of it is a present that they go and create collectively,” Cassel explains throughout a name from Melbourne, the place he’s been overseeing a manufacturing of the musical Beetlejuice on the metropolis’s Regent Theatre.
Cassel factors out that the West Finish’s Dracula is not going to “be a blueprint” of the Sydney model. “I believe what’s so thrilling, I believe for her, and for us, whereas we all know what the story is, they get to go and create this function within the rehearsal room in London collectively, and that was very interesting to Cynthia to place her personal interpretation on the function and discover that with Kip.”
The listing of 23 characters that Erivo will carry out embrace the fanged Depend Dracula, who sustains life by sucking the blood of the residing; Jonathan Harker, a newly certified solicitor who travels to to satisfy his new consumer who resides in a fortress nestled within the distant Transylvanian mountains; Mina Murray, Harker’s fiancée; her good friend Lucy Westenra; and Professor Van Hesling, vampire hunter and skilled in occult lore.
To drag off all these and different roles “you want nice actors,” says Cassel, “and we simply couldn’t be happier with Cynthia main the cost.”
Depraved followers will little question be elated to study that Erivo will sing in Dracula, however only one tune.
The unique piece within the present consists by Clemence Williams, who, because it occurs, has been nominated for a Tony Award for sound design for The Image of Dorian Grey.
RELATED: Broadway Evaluate: Sarah Snook Goes Fantastically Wilde In ‘The Image Of Dorian Grey’
Cassel was fast to state that Dracula‘s “a play not a musical, however there may be an unique tune in it” that will likely be carried out in direction of the tip of the 1 hour, 50 minute present.
Depraved: For Good, half two of director Jon M. Chu’s display screen adaptation of the Broadway hit musical, opens November 21, whereas rehearsals for Dracula begin late December.
Nevertheless, with Dracula performances starting February 4, Cassel and Kenwright are cognizant of the truth that Erivo might must skip off to 1 or two awards reveals and are making provision within the present’s efficiency schedule ought to that finally come up.
“We’re taking that under consideration,” Cassel provides, “placing all these items in place in order that Cynthia might be part of all the pieces else that’s occurring in her life — we’ll construct that in.”
“Once more why we’re simply so thrilled Cynthia has agreed to decide on this as a venture she actually desires to be part of. Once you have a look at Sarah as properly, these actors have these wonderful experiences on movie or tv, however the draw to the theatre, and certainly to do one thing that’s so difficult, I believe it’s testomony to the caliber as actors that these people are. It’s difficult what they’re being requested to do. It’s a world other than what Cynthia’s been doing not too long ago, and she will go and discover that character and be challenged night time in, night time out as all good actors are in entrance of a dwell viewers and I believe that’s actually thrilling.”
(L-R) Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in ‘Depraved: Half One’
Common Footage
Erivo has a number of different initiatives forward of Dracula. They embrace internet hosting the 78th Tony Awards at Radio Metropolis Music Corridor on June 8. Following that, she’s going to star alongside Teo Yoo (Previous Lives) and Isabel Could (1883) in director Takashi Doscher’s motion thriller Karoshi for 87Eleven and Lionsgate.
There are different motion pictures in Erivo’s diary, plus taking over the function of Jesus in a live performance model of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Famous person on the Hollywood Bowl in early August.
When Stoker printed his epistolary novel, critics noticed it as a mirrored image of facets of Victoria-era society. Cassel nods whereas observing that Williams in his adaptation delves “far more a lot into the metaphorical energy of Dracula and reorienting the psychological battle between concern, need and denial, and I believe that’s far more resonant now, that’s my view.
“It’s obtained a terrific modern lens on it.”
Cassel and Kenwright refuse to speak about additional life for Dracula with Erivo after the Noel Coward Theatre. Broadway has not been talked about, but.
“All of our focus is on the West Finish and to make {that a} success and welcome Cynthia into the world of Dracula,” says Cassel.
