Dracula in Newport
Island Moving Company, under the artistic direction of Miki Ohlsen, staged “Dracula” over this weekend at Belcourt Castle in Newport, and it was wonderful and outrageous art. (Disclaimer: We’re contributors to the company.)
Belcourt Castle is part Gothic, part Rococo, part silent move, and wholly eerie. Miki used it to great effect to stage a two-act “Dracula” that crept, marched, slithered, flew, and danced through a half-dozen Hearst-like mansion rooms, with the audience led by six musicians along the way. We witnessed dancers descending acrobatically from curtains during a dream sequence, fights in upstairs hallways, the good Count being raised from the dead by some striking “young vampire brides,” and a final scene where the dancers actually emerge from the audience in a hallway, and push us aside to make room for themselves.
David DuBois seemed to enjoy himself much too much playing Dracula, and danced with terrific grace and energy. Gregg Saulnier was wonderful as Jonathan Harker, dancing some of the longest, continual scenes I can imagine (though I would have happily bid on the opportunity to play the role in the dream sequence). Lilia Ortola, one of my favorites, danced a wonderful Mina, including succumbing to the Count’s charms. I always root for the underdog.
Island Moving Company combines classical dance, modern dance, and highly original production values in these venues, creating outstanding entertainment. We parked in the Belcourt Castle lot, walked the long paths into the courtyard, entered a side door, and then traveled through the huge place following the musicians, dancers, and story line. It’s unique to have the dancers emerge from the edge of the audience and create their own stage and room, often brushing you as they move, leap, and spin. These included, quoting the program, “unruly gypsies”! This kind of staging and choreography, combined with the venue, is extraordinary.
The mansion lends its own idiosyncrasies. At one point, a huge, stained-glass door wouldn’t open for Dracula, and as the audience smiled, David wound up magically entering through another door behind the set, something you’d expect Dracula to be able to manage!
The company stages “The Nutcracker” in a similar vein at Rosecliff Mansion in Newport for the holidays (http://www.islandmovingco.org.).
© Alan Weiss 2009. All rights reserved.
