Dracula! (Mr Swallow- The Musical)
I headed to Soho Theatre last night with my friends Rosie, Anna and Dasha for Dracula, the latest show featuring Nick Mohammad's excellent Mr Swallow character. The conceit is that we are witnessing the final dress rehearsal for "Dracula! The Musical" of which Swallow is the star, supported by his put upon director (David Elms) and the other cast members Jonathan (Kieran Hodgson) and Sally (Joanna Grace).
The theatre is a fine setting for Mohammad's ludicrous, camp creation allowing Mr Swallow to show off his diva-ish tendencies. The introduction sees him singing while whizzing around the stage on roller skates, setting a tone of slapstick lunacy. Much of the humour comes from him undermining proceedings at every turn, fumbling with props, improvising lines and even characters in one particularly amusing section of the show involving a female Liverpudlian ticket collector. His clashes with his weary director are a particular highlight.
Les Dawson was able to play the piano badly on stage only because he knew how to play it well. Similarly here, Swallow's disruption is so successful largely because the actual songs are of a high quality with a full band on stage. The cast are decent singers too, with Sally's solo as Mina Harker a particular highlight.
An interval section involving ordering a Chinese takeaway was the weakest part of the show, a solitary gag stretched a bit too far. We're soon back into the action though with Elms' doubling up as a stilted Van Helsing with Jonathan to confront Dracula. Things come clanging to a halt near the show's finale, with Swallow refusing to accept Bram Stoker's telling of events, resulting in a preposterous overblown denoument. You'll struggle to find a sillier and more joyous show than this one. It was one of my favourites at last year's Edinburgh Festival and I implore you to catch it in the next two weeks.
The theatre is a fine setting for Mohammad's ludicrous, camp creation allowing Mr Swallow to show off his diva-ish tendencies. The introduction sees him singing while whizzing around the stage on roller skates, setting a tone of slapstick lunacy. Much of the humour comes from him undermining proceedings at every turn, fumbling with props, improvising lines and even characters in one particularly amusing section of the show involving a female Liverpudlian ticket collector. His clashes with his weary director are a particular highlight.
Les Dawson was able to play the piano badly on stage only because he knew how to play it well. Similarly here, Swallow's disruption is so successful largely because the actual songs are of a high quality with a full band on stage. The cast are decent singers too, with Sally's solo as Mina Harker a particular highlight.
An interval section involving ordering a Chinese takeaway was the weakest part of the show, a solitary gag stretched a bit too far. We're soon back into the action though with Elms' doubling up as a stilted Van Helsing with Jonathan to confront Dracula. Things come clanging to a halt near the show's finale, with Swallow refusing to accept Bram Stoker's telling of events, resulting in a preposterous overblown denoument. You'll struggle to find a sillier and more joyous show than this one. It was one of my favourites at last year's Edinburgh Festival and I implore you to catch it in the next two weeks.
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