I am all in a sea of wonders…I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul…so instead I’ll confess to you— the folks of readerland— this Halloween spoof-spectacular is unhinged, off-the-hook, and absolutely the must-see, laugh-out-loud 95-minute thriller of the season. Forget about Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Christopher Lee, Adam Sandler, and whoever else you’ve seen don the cape on the silver screen through the years— they can’t hold a garlic-scented candle to Colonial Players and their present production of Dracula A Comedy of Terrors, which is truly a ticklesome treat that will have you rolling in Transylvanian soil until your sides are sore. Directed by Debbie Barber-Eaton, this farce-chasing nonsense is bloody brilliant, high-octane hysterical, and will bite your funny bone from start to finish!
Laurie Nolan and her squad (Constance Robinson and Richard Atha-Nicholls) have laid out the theatre-in-the-rectangle space that is Colonial Players with a carefully painted blood bath on the floor. (She’s the show’s floor-paint-designer, after all, with Robinson and Atha-Nicholls working as her floor-painting underlings.) And it enhances Carrie Gross & Dudley Whitney’s set design, giving you just the right idea of what sort of maniacal mayhem you’re in for. Gross & Whitney keep things simple; furnishings that pop in and out per scenic demands and the heavy reliance upon Whitney (as the show’s lighting and sound designer, assisted by Videographers Brad Phillips and Amy Atha-Nicholls) and his projection-animation-video bits that are set into the walls, creating the in-the-round immersive experience. These little tricks of set and light are particularly effective when the gang are hunting for the coffins and having to travel great swathes of time in a single hop. Gross & Whitney have drop-chandeliers (no, they don’t actually drop…that’s a different show up in Baltimore City) hanging from the ceiling, worked into Whitney’s lighting design and that adds to all of the impressive effects featured throughout the production. (Special shoutout to Erica Hufford and Wes Bedsworth, credited with being the ‘Special Effects’ Assistants.)
Like the age-old question of whether or not you have to invite a vampire into your home multiple times or only once, the same age-old question of ‘is it a prop or is it scenery’ comes to mind when thinking about the two different wheel-in coffins featured in this production. Colonial Players is settling the matter by specifically crediting Carrie Gross & Dudley Whitney here with their fabrication and fabulousness…and as one of the coffins is has a light-up feature, they both deserve masterful ovations. (Shout-out to Constance Robinson, the show’s properties designer for all the other nifties featured throughout!) Though the true bloody brilliant piece of craftsmanship in this show is wilder still than those coffins. Not Drac’s fangs (compliments of Ehmann Dental Care) or the fangs for the rest of the cast (somehow Richard Atha-Nicholls) but the not one but TWO full-body puppet features crafted into ‘life’ like Frankenstein’s monster by J.B. McLendon. When the characters of Lord Cavendish, Lord Worthington, and Lord Havemercy are introduced simultaneously (and all played by the incomparable Jason Vellon) at the engagement party, the audience all but busts their guts with laughter at this two-sided, shoulder-rigged people-puppet monstrosity that gets lumbered in with Vellon being the actual ‘third’ caught in the middle. The puppets are intentionally crude of face (only serving to add to the hilarity) and are only featured in that one scene but are so funny in their existence, McLendon deserves his own garlic-trophy. Add to that what is arguably the most hysterical prop seen on the CP stage in recent years— the Mina Westfeldt body double, which has the audience in stitches for multiple scenes— and McLendon is running away with some kind of farce-maker-of-the-year award.
The whole show is high humors. And Costume Designer Christina R. McAlpine (along with her legion of seamstresses— Devin Thrasher, Jenny Son, Margaret Balacki, Ann Edwards, Abigail Traverson) understood the assignment! When Dracula sashays onto the scene, it’s like looking at Rocky from Rocky Horror Picture Show if he’d somehow escaped the tragic Frankenfurter ending, grew up with David Bowie teaching him the ways of the world, whilst watching The Great British Bake-Off. And a nod of praises to Pam Peach, hair & makeup, for all of the wild, on-point design work she’s added into the mix. The glittery mesh pieces in Drac’s wardrobe, along with the…let’s call it ‘the total look’ on Dr. Van Helsing…are just a few of the fabulous pieces featured in the show’s overall sartorial selection; McAlpine slays when it comes to outfitting this production, no question.
Accents were on point, a rare gem in community theatre productions, and they were the perfect level of melodramatically over-the-top (particularly for Dracula) whilst still being intelligible. The show as a whole moves like a well-oiled machine— the accents, the comedic timing and delivery, the blocking, the overall sense of making humor from terror, the camaraderie amongst the cast of five who play every single character in the show, the pacing, and the quick changes. Director Debbie Barber-Eaton has mastered the herculean task of getting this show to run tight without sacrificing the comedic nature of its essence, particularly when it comes to Shannon Benil’s dueling character appearances of Dr. Wallace Westfeldt and Renfield. Those pop-ups are so tight— all the praises to the assist from Stage Manager Andy McLendon (and ASM Kady Robshaw) who facilitate the necessary actions behind-the-scenes to ensure that those moments (and there are tons of them, not just with Benil’s character-hopping) backstage to give the audience the most perfectly-timed comedic experience. Barber-Eaton, who steers the bumpy carriage that is this madcap comedic experience, seems to keenly understand the intent of Gordon Greenberg & Steve Rosen (the show’s playwrights) and has selected an impeccable cast for the performance. Barber-Eaton guides the over-the-top character performances, toeing that fine line of the actors playing the moments with dead-sincerity (to heighten this hilariousness that lands flawlessly into the audience) and allowing for little bursts of zany and cheeky nonsense to escape. It’s brilliant. The show is wonderfully written, lots of little nod-drops of both modern references and some musical theatre innuendo; you might want to check your pulse if you’re not laughing maniacally all throughout the performance!
Jason Vellon, Melanie Gordon, Shannon Benil, and Eric Lund comprise the cast. Well, comprise the non-titular cast. (It’s truly a troupe effort amongst the five but as Dracula is only ever Dracula and these four take up at least dueling if not tripled and quadrupled character-changes, it felt appropriate to start here.) Vellon, Gordon, Benil, and Lund share this stage vibe of living in a spooky, reimagined production of The 39 Steps, with all the zingers, one-liners, callbacks, physical shenanigans, farce components, etc. And they do it sublimely. You actually encounter these four as your first ‘point of entry’ to the show, where tongue-in-cheek they’re basically telling you that you’re seated, so your stuck, buckle up, and try not to die. It’s uproarious and rightfully primes the audience for the incoming antics.
Shannon Benil, who has already been praised once for her quick-changes, really is a commanding performer, particularly in this humorous vein of work. Her mannerisms as Renfield and vocal affectations are sublime. When she plays the ship’s captain, between her antics and that outrageous beard, you’re in for a screaming treat. Eric Lund is delivering double-shenanigans both as Mina, the ‘lesser’ sister of Lucy and as Dr. Van Helsing (there are so many jokes in there but let’s not spoil the surprises by elaborating too much on that one!) Lund has this extraordinary handle on comedic timing and delivery and really leans into the farcical components of both of his characters. And that avocado-strawberry dress he wears as Mina is hideodiously hilarious. Both Benil and Lund carry quite a bit of the show’s comedy, though truthfully the five performers roll as one into a glorious comedic unit and there aren’t truly enough words to accurately describe how humorous they all, but particularly Lund and Benil when their Wallace and Van Helsing characters get to…engaging.
While Melanie Gordon spends most of her time as Lucy Westfeldt, and arguably with some of the show’s most exasperating facial expressions, you do get to see her double-up as Kitty. Her mincing physicality and saucy accent in that role is a real scream while her primary character of Lucy is quite composed though as previously stated with some of the most engaging and animated facial expressions, often channeling exasperation. You’ll die laughing watching Gordon attempt to comfort— “Mina”— in the bedbound scene, her intense involvement in that scene is so stone-serious that it redoubles the humorous effect to the audience.
Jason Vellon, despite playing all four of Lucy’s suitors (the three she rejects plus the one she’s engaged to), is wildly mousy. Right up until he hits his ‘Sandy-D-end-of-Grease-glow-up’ and then he’s feral. And it’s a riot. The posh and rather stuffy accent that Vellon works into the Jonathan Harker character is perfectly suited for his wishy-washy nature (and juxtaposed against that bad-ass bad-boy flip at the end, you’re receiving absolute comedic gold.) His physical reactions and responses— particularly as Ron Giddings’ Dracula is throwing himself into poor Jonathan Harker’s unsuspecting lap are priceless.
In the titular role, you couldn’t hope for more strut, more confidence, more total sense of upended chaos when it comes to the dark-winged terror of the night. Ron Giddings has an exacting balance on how to make this character over-the-top without painting into the pigeon-hole of a caricature. He’s got the sex appeal of the character refined to meticulous laboratory science whilst balancing the groan-worthy puns in the character’s dialogue sublimely. Giddings moves wonderfully— appearing like a true bat at times, seriously, watch him do effortless pull-ups from the suspension grid-iron of the stage, it’s unhinged— and even when there’s a scripted ‘wardrobe malfunction’ (complete with amazing sound effects) you get fully invested body language. Giddings is a natural in the role, creating charisma and comedy in one fell, batwing swoop.
It’s a laugh-minute, non-stop presentation of theatrical nonsense. It’s the must-see of the spooky season and perfect for anyone who wants a little bite without too much terror. Dracula A Comedy of Terrors is where it’s at this season…so you’d better make your escape from reality and enter the vampire’s lair before it’s too late!
Running Time: Approximately 95 minutes with no intermission
Dracula A Comedy of Terrors plays through November 15th 2025 at The Colonial Players of Annapolis— 108 East Street in historic Annapolis, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 268-7373 or purchase them online.
“I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.”