The Lyric Hammersmith’s revival of Dracula is not short on ambition. Bram Stoker’s gothic novel has been adapted countless times, yet this production finds fresh ways to reframe the familiar tale, with a focus on the power and strength of the female voices in the story. With striking visual design, clever staging, and a playful blend of horror and humour, it creates an evening that is often arresting, if not always as sharp as its fangs promise to be.

From the moment the curtain rises, the audience is drawn into a world of bold theatricality. The design team relies on suggestion rather than lavish sets, conjuring gothic dread through shadow, lighting, and sound. Pools of crimson light drench the stage, silhouettes stretch into monstrous forms, and the atmosphere builds with an unsettling energy. These visual flourishes lend the production a distinctive identity, one that feels both contemporary and reverential to the story’s roots.

There are moments of genuine theatrical thrill. A haunting physical theatre sequence earned gasps from the audience on press night, while the sequences are executed with stylish precision. The interplay of light and sound does much of the heavy lifting in evoking the supernatural, and at its best, the production achieves a haunting, cinematic quality that lingers.

The performances are committed. The supporting cast throw themselves into their roles with energy. Some lean towards caricature, others towards subtlety, creating a tonal mix that occasionally jars but also keeps the evening lively. The humour — sometimes sly, sometimes broad — works more often than not, offering a fresh take that avoids the trap of taking itself too seriously.

Where the production falters is in pacing. The build-up of tension sometimes stalls, with certain scenes drawn out longer than they need to be. At times, the show feels caught between wanting to unsettle and wanting to amuse, and that indecision occasionally blunts the impact. Yet even when the suspense loosens, the visual invention and playful theatricality hold attention.

It is, in essence, a production built on moments rather than momentum. The images it creates – Lucy’s transformation, the sudden flashes of Dracula’s looming presence, the clever use of shadow – are what stay with you, even if the story’s emotional pull doesn’t always land as deeply. Still, for an audience coming in search of a bold and modern twist on a classic, there is much to enjoy here.

What sets this Dracula apart is its refusal to be a museum piece. It acknowledges the strangeness, and the melodrama inherent in Stoker’s tale, and plays with them knowingly.

That may not satisfy purists looking for unrelenting gothic terror, but it does make for an entertaining night that feels alive, inventive, and accessible.

At its best, this production is stylish, surprising, and often fun. At its weakest, it loses focus and the tagline “beware of the teller as much as the tale” is a slight give away. Taken as a whole, though, it is a lively reimagining of a story that can so easily feel stale. It may not be a definitive Dracula, but it certainly has bite enough to make it worth the trip.

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