DRAKULA SPECTACULAR
A new comedy Musical
By Greg Viljoen and Emma Peirson
Music by Janine Neethling and Saranti Reeders
Due to his recent barbaric blood binge on a cruise ship, and the unrelenting pressure of the invisible wooden stake that is ‘the greater good’, Vladimir Drakŭla, the greatest monster in history, has made the selfless decision to cancel himself. But before he retires his fangs, and to avoid his five hundred vampire years being, ahem, pointless, he wants to tell his story. Taking a leaf out of his old pal William Shakespeare’s book, he’ll get it told by putting on a show, all about himself.
Making it spectacular, though, is a monstrous challenge, considering his cast and crew are limited to the three human barristers he’s mind-controlled into thinking they’re bats. It’s his own fault for preferring Chiropterans for company. When he casts talented but troubled actress Kimberly White as the female lead things seem on the up, until Vlad realises his lust for human blood is a beast not easily tamed. Adding to the swirling mix of emotions is Kimberly’s own frustration with her co-actor’s stubborn insistence to stay in vampire character, constantly trying, and failing, to control her mind.
As Vlad and Kimberly find their way through the unlikely mashup of their two very different worlds, semi-famous social media person Vaneshran Singh (#VanTheVampireKiller) is desperate to find a real vampire. As the world’s only self-proclaimed real vampire killer, it’s kinda important. With no progress to speak of, all he can do is reach out to the convincing ‘Vlad Drakŭla’ actor he’s seen on telly, advertising his new show, for a fake publicity stunt, that will unexpectedly turn out to be the scariest thing he’s ever faced. Not unlike all the past and present human monsters Vlad has survived to get to his own current cross-road.
As destinies of vampire, actress and vampire killer collide, smoke is cleared, mirrors are broken (Vlad wasn’t using his anyway) and hearts once thought to be very, very dead, begin to stir.
Can a vampire change his bestial ways- especially when he needs to perform? Can a human overcome her inner darkness to share her light with the world, before its bled dry by the monster with which she shares a snazzy billboard?
The answer lies somewhere between sunset…and the rise of a dusty, blood-red curtain.