Review: "Drunk Dracula" Delivers a Bloody Good Time at Drunk Shakespeare Society

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The only show in Houston where telling an actor they suck is a compliment!

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If you consider all the classic monsters, Dracula makes the most sense to make a Drunk Shakespeare version of. He literally drinks to become immortal, as most of the rest of us do. Last year saw the Houston premiere of our local Drunk Shakespeare Society's production of Bram Stoker ’s Dracula . Like any monster, he’s back again. And even though DRUNKULA was right there, they named it DRUNK DRACULA to line up with the rest of their productions. Ah, branding. How you sometimes suck the joy from living. But I will tell you that DRUNK DRACULA definitely doesn’t suck, and it’s a new Halloween tradition for Houston that I can 1000% get behind. No matter what you choose to drink, this one’s a bloody great time. The conceit of any production from The Drunk Shakespeare Society is that at the start of the performance, they designate one cast member to take four shots of hard liquor. This poor thespian then gets to make different rules, and can be subject to orders from a royal couple of audience members. This cast takes a literary classic, gets lit, and then improvises around it with games and audience interaction. They are serious actors and serious drinkers, and they are getting silly with both at the same time. Think of it all as children’s theater for people old enough to swig a cocktail. Stoker’s text doesn’t make it too far into this rather loose adaptation of Dracula . Don’t expect anything akin to the literary faithful as we saw for Classical Theatre’s version last year (but they also didn’t have bartenders!). But let us consider that there are 30 cinematic adaptations of the novel, and none of them closely match the original source material. This crew is simply having a good time with the old bloodsucker.

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Surprisingly, the funniest part is likely the host's or narrator's. He seems to be with the audience the most! The night I caught the show, Seth Cunningham filled the impresario's shoes in this part fabulously. He rapid-fires homages to about a dozen horror movies and keeps the narrative flowing with Drac and the fang gang. Speaking of the oldest vampire known to man, Dillon Dewitt was in his black cape at my viewing. He is one of the city’s best actors and gives a distinctively soulful interpretation here that also nods to Blacula . He makes for a perfect vampire that is handsome and easy to take seriously until he whips out his attacks on the audience. Pantelis Karastamatis gets to play all of the “token straight dudes,” including Harker and Dr. Seward. His Greek matinee-idol good looks allow for that, but it is his skill at comedy that has me on the floor. Shayna Gilberg, who is new to the company, stepped into all of the lady parts, such as Lucy and Mina. She was also the designated drinker at my show, and somehow managed to keep it all together to play all of her assigned characters and do a searing monologue from Shakespeare’s Richard III . She has a great stage presence and manages everything with grace. One of my favorite Drunk Shakespeare gals, Zoe Parkinson, rounded out the cast as a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Van Helsing. She’s acrobatic, fierce, and fiery. Perfect casting all the way around. Technically, the Emerald Theater in downtown Houston always looks about the same. The set never changes, and it’s just about some cosplay-level costumes, lighting, and some nice sound work. The showcase is truly on the actors, the audience, and the libations.

As a stalwart fan of Dracula , this one is a lot of fun. All the elements are in place for the story, and this society figures out clever ways to integrate them into Houston. The joy of this kind of theater is that every night you go, a different actor may get drunk, a different cast may take over, and the improvised bits will go their own way every time. Are they all that reverent with Bram Stoker ’s text? Hell no. This is about having a good time, and they do. But certainly they do include some of the literary work. Take, for example, this from Jonathan Harker’s diary: "I had for breakfast more paprika, and a sort of porridge of maize flour which they said was ‘mamaliga,’ and egg-plant stuffed with forcemeat, a very excellent dish, which they call ‘impletata.’" That somehow makes it into this play! And of course immediately gets made fun of. And that’s the joy of literate comics that know how to act seriously but never take anything that way. You are coming here for the jokes and the people, not the paprika. Go! Enjoy! Drink if you like. But know that you can always count on DRUNK DRACULA for a laugh about sucking. It’s gonna be that kind of night. Cheers!

DRUNK DRACULA runs through Sunday, November 8th, and new to the Houston group, they are offering weekday viewings! If you want to score better seats and bring a larger group, look at those shows. They have just been added this year, so snatch up the tickets before everyone from the weekend realizes they are out there. The show itself runs about 90 minutes without any intermission. Another pro tip here - if you HAVE to use the facilities during the play, do it during one of the drinking games. You won’t miss the story! Although you may miss an audience member crushing a beer can on her forehead.

The photo is provided by the PR firm. Though it shows you the Houston cast, literally NONE of the actors I saw are pictured here. The show rotates casts, so even more reason to go multiple times. But that is not Dillon Dewitt or Seth Cunningham in there, or anybody else! But it is a pretty great shot of the other half of the troop.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/houston/article/Review-DRUNK-DRACULA-at-DRUNK-SHAKESPEARE-SOCIETY-20261007)._