Taunton's local theater is flipping the script on classic horror just in time for the Halloween season, turning "Dracula" from a tale of terror into a barrel of laughs. "Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors," which runs from October 16 through the 19 at the Taunton Performing Arts Center, promises an adventurous, comedic twist on Bram Stoker's novel, aiming to make audiences laugh instead of scream.
According to CBS Boston, Fred Halperin, who stars in the community theater production, the play is "lovingly based on Bram Stoker's 'Dracula,'" but leans into "campiness and a lot of innuendo and funny situations, funny scenarios." The show boasts a fast pace, filled with jokes and quick costume changes that maintain some of the original plotlines while veering into unabashed farce. Actor Cassandra Gilbert says, "Honestly, this show, we push the envelope, which not a lot of shows do in community theater."
Christopher Francis, who plays the eponymous Count, expressed his joy in taking on the role, describing his character as "a very funny Dracula. It's a very sexual Dracula. It's a very promiscuous kind of guy," in an interview with CBS Boston. Meanwhile, the show's official website flaunts the production as "a Bram-new comedy you can really sink your teeth into," promising a 90-minute, gender-bending, laugh-out-loud reimagining of the gothic classic.
The community theater's approach to this iconic character and story offers a unique space for performers to explore and express themselves with support and lower stakes. "There's a level of freedom to it. There's a safeness to it. There's an understanding that when you're performing, you're becoming a different person who's not you," Halperin told CBS Boston. Brendan Pione added that discovering the local theater scene is often a revelation to those who stumble upon it, wishing their own towns offered something similar.
Taunton Performing Arts Center is determined to give audiences a theatrical experience that blends humor with horror, sans the terror. "It's both what you love about Dracula and what you love about comedies all in one," said director Natalie Cabral, suggesting that the goal is for audiences to walk away having had a genuinely fun time, as noted by CBS Boston. For those interested in catching this offbeat rendition of the legendary vampire tale, tickets and more information are available at www.draculacomedy.com.
