When the Little 5 Points Rockstar Orchestra first gathered for its low budget interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s Jesus Christ Superstar a few years ago, it seemed like a self-indulgent undertaking by a bunch of Atlanta rockers who had little, if any, knowledge of how to properly stage a theatrical production. Sure, they had seen their share of stage theatrics, but the spontaneous energy of a live rock performance is very different from a well-rehearsed stage production, even when music is involved.
Over the years, the Orchestra became more ambitious, staging theatrical interpretations of Iron Maiden‘s The Number of the Beast and Rush‘s 2112, as well as absurdly sacreligious holiday productions such as Christmas with the Devil and the Krampus Xmas Spectacular. The group graduated from the tiny stage of the Five Spot to the legitimate theater space at 7 Stages. And in February of last year, the Orchestra staged its most impressive production yet: Haus Von Dracul, a rock opera interpretation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Rob Thompson as Dracula (photo by Yvonne Boyd)
Haus Von Dracul, the first act of a work-in-progress, revealed a more sophisticated side to the Orchestra. With Orchestra leader Rob Thompson now working with theatre veteran Del Hamilton and the rest of the 7 Stages staff, the marriage of rock and theatre he originally envisioned was finally complete. And last weekend, the Orchestra staged the world premiere of Dracula: The Rock Opera, which builds upon Haus Von Dracul‘s foundation to bare theatrical fangs worthy of it’s namesake vampire.
Directed by Hamilton and accomplished actor Justin Welborn (The Final Destination, The Signal), Dracula is perhaps the most accurate depiction of Stoker’s novel to ever have been conceived theatrically. Rather than the dark lover Hollywood would tell us is Dracula, this production retains the demonic fashion sense established by Bela Lugosi and Gary Oldman with the monstrous demeanor of Max Shreck’s Nosferatu.
“You get Max Shreck as Nosferatu, then he starts to morph into Lugosi a little bit, then he turns into Christopher Lee,” says Shane Morton, who plays Texan Quincy Morris (and also runs attractions such as the Silver Scream SpookShow and Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse). “You see him do the whole gamut and you can tell he’s been working hard on it and studying a lot. Rob’s jump in acting has been insane. I snuck out and watched the first act and I couldn’t believe it. I know Dracula, and this is the best Dracula I’ve ever seen. I know I’m too close to the project to say anything unbiased, but I really feel that way watching his performance. And that’s all because of Justin and Del really getting on everybody and making actors out of a bunch of musicians and stuff.”
“We’re working towards a more professional atmosphere,” adds Welborn, who has been largely responsible for the Orchestra’s evolution over the past few years. “We told them we could make it bigger if we rehearsed a little bit longer, if everyone showed up on time, and this time it was very much about being as professional as we could be and not getting drunk during rehearsals. There are just certain things you do if you’re going to take something as serious and invest as much money, time and effort as we have in this. For everybody to actually come to that mutual agreement makes Del and my job so much easier because that’s what you have to do. Everybody’s performances came up – our ensemble had a chance to really gel together and work on what they were going to do, and the innkeeper woman (played by Naomi Lavender, who also plays Mina Harker and one of Dracula’s brides) didn’t look like something out of Disney, she looked like something out of a horror movie. I agree that Rob’s Dracula is one of the spookiest, weirdest, craziest that I’ve gotten to see. He’s taken his natural moves and put those natural moves into something very streamlined and knows what he’s doing the whole time. That’s the thing that takes it from out-of-control rock ‘n’ roll to a focused and true artistic performance.”
Dracula (Rob Thompson) and his brides Naomi Lavender (left), Madeline Brumby (center) and Jessika Cutts (right) (photo by Yvonne Boyd)
Though last year’s production was essentially the first act of Dracula, a lot of changes have been made between that show and the current one (running through Oct. 14). The stylized stage itself has been completely reconfigured to help the show (and blood) flow a little better, the costumes are a little more flamboyant, and some fresh blood has been added to the cast. One of the standouts of this new cast is Jeff Langston, whose Van Helsing is just as eccentric as Thompson’s Dracula. In fact, between the costumes and makeup, the two characters almost look as if they could be related. And like Thompson, Langston, whose only prior stage time was as singer for Ledfoot Messiah, is the latest example of a musician previously unfamiliar with the acting discipline.
“The directors had never met him at all until the first day or rehearsal,” says Welborn. “And he began by saying, ‘I just want you to know I’ll accept any help because I’ve never acted in any play ever in my life.’ Then he began to sing and it was like, ‘OK, we can work something out here.’ He probably worked harder and came farther than anyone else because he’s never worn a costume or gone onstage without a guitar. He told me the other day that he used to think he was born to play music, but now he thinks maybe he was born to perform.”
There’s no shortage of great performances in Dracula, and most everyone involved has to perform in both musical and theatrical capacities. But it’s the music that helps convey the drama and emotions, whether it be through seriously psychedelic scenes or funk-laden numbers with a sense of humor.
“My inspiration grew out of my love for Jesus Christ Superstar and putting this group together to do that,” says Thompson. “I pretty much hate most modern music that comes out and the ’70s are definitely my favorite, so I was thinking of Alice Cooper, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy. I just wanted a classic rock opera and this has turned out to be better than I imagined.”
And while the first act is dominated by the ominous sense of Jonathan Harker’s impending doom after arriving at Dracula’s castle, the second act, with it’s Gwar-like gore and lighthearted songs, really delves into the comedic value of it all.
“If you don’t give them a release valve and give them something to laugh at, they’re going to start laughing at stuff they’re not supposed to laugh at,” says Morton. “So these songs that, when I originally heard them I was like, ‘What the fuck is this?’, they have to happen because it helps the flow of everything. Between all the horror, you’ve got to give them some comic relief.”
Ledfoot Messiah’s Jeff Langston as Van Helsing (photo by Yvonne Boyd)
“I’ve never seen Dracula done without all this serious stuff,” says Welborn. “It’s almost never funny, and that’s why I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that I loved. I love the [Francis Ford] Coppola movie in it’s own way and I love Lugosi’s movie and some of the old ones, but you begin to laugh at things because it’s just kind of absurd. Every Dracula I’ve ever seen on stage, I’ve absolutely hated. The first time I heard we were going to do this, I was like, ‘Wow! OK. That’s a challenge in and of itself because it’s always so [romanticized].’ Then these guys start telling me he’s a monster and that’s it, and I began to think that gives humanity to everybody else around him.”
“The really great thing about this show is it’s not just another musical or another play or another rock show,” says Jessika Cutts, who plays Lucy Westerna and one of Dracula’s brides. “It’s got the intelligence and finesse of an opera, then it has this careless fun you have when you go to see a rock concert, mixed with all these spectacular effects.”
The Orchestra has big plans for Dracula once the coffin closes on this initial run. Welborn has already been talking to his agents and managers about possibly staging it in New York, Thompson hopes to properly record the score in a studio for a future soundtrack release and there are premonitions of taking the show on the road, or even overseas, if the opportunity arises.
“My whole life I feel like I’ve been gearing up to this,” says Morton. “I’ve been obsessed with [Dracula] since I was three years old. Jesus Christ Superstar is a great rock opera, but I think Rob has written a better rock opera and if the right people get ahold of this and it gets out, people will see that it’s really something special.”
For more information, go to www.7stages.org/dracula.
