From humble origins located in a Melbourne alleyway, this is the first time that this show, now based on the Gold Coast, has ever toured Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Dracula’s: Resurrection Tour is part old-school vaudeville cabaret/burlesque, part circus, and part comedy show all wrapped up in a live rock show bow (I’ve never seen Bohemian Rhapsody as a puppet show before). It’s just not the kind of show to take your children to.
With the sound of a chainsaw being wielded by a maniacal vampire we knew the show was about to start: "welcome sinners".
From there our host, the hilarious Vlad the Inhaler, introduced us to his cohort of depraved miscreants and the fun began where we were plunged deep into a world of debauchery where the women wore skimpy, yet stunning, costumes: there was a lot of mesh that showed a lot of flesh and the leading men were camp, politically incorrect, and comedy gold — innuendo and euphemisms galore!
This is the kind of show that absolutely wants to be risqué and push the boundaries of comfort levels, but also it feels like the cast are having a rocking good time performing it.
They perform what they want, the way they want and take us along for the ride.
They all have their unique skills, and they must all have a level of exhibitionism, but they have the most bewitching chemistry that makes them magnetic to watch.
Stunning female vocalist, the coquettish Vyper, was the sultry temptress that mesmerised the audience, particularly in her Glory Box solo, while Vlad’s right-hand man, Onyx, was the epitome of a frontman, but it was the aerial performance artists who stole the show for me.
The entire show from start to finish was utterly entertaining, a little scary at times and all sorts of inappropriate, but the cast had me and the rest of the audience eating out of the palms of their hands.
Hopefully we will see far more from the team behind Dracula’s in the future.
