Non-Stop Hilarity In This Must See Off-Broadway Farce

Personally, I have always been fascinated with fictional vampires, both on the terrifying side and those kooky ones. Think Al Lewis as Count Sam Dracula (aka Grandpa) on sitcom The Munsters and Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins on the classic daytime drama Dark Shadows. Think Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The Vampire Diaries and True Blood. Don’t forget Michael Nouri as Count Dracula in The Curse of Dracula (on the obscure anthology Cliffhangers). And, throw in FX’s campy What We Do in the Shadows, the tale four vampires who live together on Staten Island. This is to name a few.

So, when I heard of the new Off-Broadway show Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, it was off to New World Stages in New York City to see of there was any comedic bite in this parody about the centuries-old vampire.

I didn’t stop laughing for 90-straight minutes.

This time, the villainess vampire Count Dracula is in the form of James Daly, a tall, blonde, muscular hunk in tight leather pants (and occasionally minus his shirt) who manages to seduce his victims, both male and female, with his pouty wit and seductive exterior.

Sexy and campy, complete with endless zingers, puns, slapstick, tongue in cheek humor, and pop culture references (the classic I Love Lucy included), the gender-bending Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors begins as Jonathan Harker (Andrew Keenan-Bolger), a meek real estate agent, takes a harrowing journey to meet a new and mysterious client, who also just happens to be Count Dracula. Jonathan is engaged to Lucy Westenra (Jordan Boatman), who fills the classic horror heroine role. Lucy’s sister Mina (Arnie Burton) is looking to hook-up with Count Dracula (or anyone, perhaps, in a pair of pants). And their father, Dr. Wallace Westfeldt (Ellen Harvey), has the straight role of the group until Harvey lets loose when she shifts from one character to another in a single scene.

With just five actors in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, James Daly is the only performer with only one job to do. And he knows how to get the biggest bite out of the hilariously silly banter. Each individual has their moments in the spotlight, but it is Arnie Burton, first as the sexually hungry and desperate Mina and then as the no-nonsense vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing, who hams it up to the hilt.

When Mina is suddenly stricken, Burton morphs into the commanding Dr. Van Helsing, the polar opposite of the sex-starved underachiever. And, in a nod to the effortless cast changes, Burton manages to even play the two roles simultaneously.

Overall, the design of the set and the costumes fit perfectly with overall goofy tone of show. The pace is fast and furious. The performances are all in one word, superb. And the theater itself is a comfortable arena.

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors runs at New World Stages through Jan. 7, 2024. You don’t want to miss this campy and vampy production.