Dracula

by Liz Lochhead (Adapted by), Bram Stoker

Ideal for schools and drama groups, this Dracula is all the more chilling for the respect it shows for Stoker's original nightmare creation.

Genres: Classics, Horror, Audiobook, Plays, Adult, Vampires, Gothic

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2010

About the author

Liz Lochhead is a Scottish poet and dramatist, originally from Newarthill in North Lanarkshire. In the early 1970s she joined Philip Hobsbaum's writers' group, a crucible of creative activity - other members were Alasdair Gray, James Kelman, and Tom Leonard. Her plays include Blood and Ice, Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off (1987), Perfect Days (2000) and a highly acclaimed adaptation into Scots of Molière's Tartuffe (1985). Her adaptation of Euripides' Medea won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award in 2001. Like her work for theatre, her poetry is alive with vigorous speech idioms; collections include True Confessions and New Clichés (1985), Bagpipe Muzak (1991) and Dreaming Frankenstein: and Collected Poems (1984). She has collaborated with Dundee singer-songwriter Michael Marra.

In January 2011 she was named as the second Scots Makar, or national poet, succeeding Edwin Morgan who had died the previous year.

Reviews

[Abby O'Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

van helsing I am available for dinner on friday at 8pm please contact me

[Karrah X · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t listen to a recorded play for so long, and this made me fall in love with them all over again! Lochhead’s adaption of this great classic is concise while retaining the correct amount of details for you to follow the story. I wish it were longer; however, I was surprised by how much detail was packed into a two hour time frame.

This audio is wonderfully acted by David Suchet, Tom Hiddleston, Daniel Weyman, and others. The fear, surprise, and sensuality are palpable.

My only complaint is the small discontinuity between the end of Part 1, where Mina and Jonathon are still separated, and the beginning of Part 2, where they are back together with no explanation of how Jonathan escaped Castle Dracula or how they were reunited. A small matter, but I do think the information would have helped the flow of the story - as it is, it feels as though there is a bit of a gap.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone that would like to delve into this famous classic without tackling the whole original novel.

[Charlie Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Renfield is a great character in this version, probably one of my favourite portrayals of him. Some of the stage descriptions are beautifully poetic. However, not many of the characters were particularly interesting and a less faithful adaptation might have felt like we weren't just racing through each major plot point of the novel. The first thing I've read from Liz Lochhead but I get the impression that she's perhaps more of a poet than a playwright.

[Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

3. gang jeg leser denne boken, 1, gang som hørespill, og dette var helt klart den beste opplevelsen!

[e ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

BBC Audio Drama. An interesting and entertaining, but slightly unfaithful adaption of the original novel. Definitely worth a listen for vampire lovers.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean. Sometimes I just like to go with assurance of quality ;)

[Awkward-ness · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very quick, but good, creepy old school radio drama production of DRACULA. The cast was so so good in their roles. The actor who played Renfield in particular was really enjoying his role as the madman. Tom Hiddleston is great as Jonathan Harker. I was a little disappointed he didn’t have more lines but then that’s time away from Dracula who does a great job of evoking the old school Dracula figures on film.

It’s funny because while his accent reminded me of Count von Count, he somehow managed to pull off sounding super scary and then super seductive? Dracula made me blush when he finally got his hands on Mina.

Mina and Lucy played off each other so well. In this production, Mina and Lucy are sisters who are staying at a coastal resort because of Lucy’s frail health. The comparison between Lucy/Mina really highlighted that maybe Lucy isn’t the only high strung lady in the family. In fact, every character is crazy in their own way.

The music and sound effects really added to the story. I found myself creeped out and not really ready to listen in the evening. I actually listened to the drama at work and jumped several times when someone came up to me.

Highly recommend! Will be re—reading this little gem especially for the Halloween season.

[Tyler Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 actually but I’m rounding up! I love playbills I remember reading Dracula for English in high school and thinking, “wow, this author sure loves to repeat himself”. I like this book because it hits all the plot points and also gives Renfield a solid personality. In the original, its nothing but rumination and the two male leads being obsessed with their wives to be and Dracula being obsessed with John. In retrospect I guess I do see the homoeroticism of the interactions between Count and his guest— I recognized how Stoker was inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu in some regards, like the character of Van Helsing was basically Baron Vordenburg, for instance, and the wild disgust these creatures are shown when they aren’t around, and yet are hypnotizing and beautiful and terrible to behold besides. It all came back to me! In the form of a very long, very lovely poem (read to me in part by Tom Hiddleston).

Lochhead does a wonderful job of hitting every beat. Stoker’s characters— the tragic Lucy and Arthur, the lovers still to heal John and Mina, the Count and his wives like harpies, and the mad subjugate— invoke almost the same emotions in me as they did when I read it the first time.

[Kai Bythesea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stoker’s Dracula has been adapted so many times, well, practically to death! However, Liz Lochhead offers an interesting rewrite of the story. Her 1985 theatrical adaptation of the novel is not without its faults but it’s still well worth the read for Dracula fans. Lochhead puts Mina and Lucy to the forefront of the story, considerably delays Count Dracula’s entrance, and gives Renfield much improved billing in the story. The results are somewhat mixed. The ‘daddy’ vampire is almost unchanged from Stoker’s creation, the female characters are modernised but not particularly empowered, and only Renfield serves as a major improvement on the original. The plot, which should have been simplified, remains quite complex and heavy for a stage production. What rescues this adaptation is Lochhead’s clever, poetic use of language including her use of children’s rhymes and ballads in Renfield’s strange, mad babblings.

I would recommend this play to aficionados of vampire fiction or those interested in the finer points of adaptation, but probably not to a general readership.
For a more detailed analysis, see my blog post -my link text

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Searching the fantastic new library app, Borrow Box, I managed to find this 1985 stage adaptation of Dracula, by Scottish poet Liz Lochhead, as a 2006 BBC radio play. Lochhead’s version shortens, restructures and makes some changes to Stoker’s 1897 novel; but hits all the major plot points and retains its Victorian setting. Interestingly, the character of Renfield is given much more prominence than he is in the novel. The play creates a tangible gothic atmosphere through effective (sometimes scary) use of music and a strong voice cast, including a young Tom Hiddleston. David Suchet, delivering the standout performance, is mesmerising as the Count, both menacing and seductive - like the novel itself.

[Annelisa Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this. Really cool performance, but you probably need to have read the original first

[Ginger Vampyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a full rendition of Dracula, but an audio play. It is a very sexy and compelling adaptation of Dracula. A full cast production to make each character an individual and complete.

[Katyana McArdle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, dark, and with beautiful stage directions - this is a play that deserves to be read as well as seen. An absolute treat for lovers of the Gothic.

[Nicole Miskel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could listen to Tom Huddleston narrate the dictionary, so finding an audiobook that he participated in was lovely.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off slow, but it's deliciously creepy and weird. Ends a bit abruptly.

[Bettina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun little experience. Very abridged from the original story.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lochead Blockheads #1
Well a stage adaptation of Dracula, this was an audio version, the highlight being David Suchet playing Dracula.
Average apart from that.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF’D at 93%

This is a RETELLING of Bram Stokers Dracula. And that’s fine.

At first I was excited because the audio reminded me of a movie or a play. But i found I quickly lost interest.

It wasn’t until I finished the first part that I realized I had absolutely no clue what was going on. I continued to try and try but alas, I wasn’t in the mood to try.

I’m sure this is good for some people, but not my cup of tea ☹️

[Ebster Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing I liked best about this adaptation is that Renfield is a major character. He's my favorite character in the original, and I enjoy his story arc. So I'm good he's not marginalized as "Dracula's henchman" in this.

RENFIELD Life’s all I want. Life’s all right. I have all the life I need, right now, I’m laughing. (Starts to sob.) I don’t want nobody’s soul on my conscience. Doctor! Nothing in a soul to eat or – No!

SEWARD. Or what? Drink?

They did combine a lot of the characters and the action, but its a play so they kind of have to.

I don't think it's the ultimate adaptation I'm looking for, but it's still pretty good and I'd someday love to see it performed.

Notes:

There are a lot of cool references to the book, the most notable for me was "King Laugh"...which is the laughter that overtakes you even when you're sad because you can see the irony in a situation and it helps you put your troubles into perspective. In the book, it's used by Van Helsing, here it's also used by Renfield (see above). My hat's off to Liz Lochhead, that was masterful, Ma'am!

[Maj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite this being labelled as a Suchet-Hiddles affair, I'd definitely say the female elements of this adaptation are the dominant ones. Which is only right.

Mind you, Suchet is flawless, though I do kinda wish there could have been a bit more of him.
Hiddleston, then an unknown, is an adequate Jonathan (I didn't know who he'd play in this, but I guessed it'd be this part, and I was right!).

The story was adapted for audio really well and it's definitely enjoyable, if this is your genre. Being a fan of David or Tom (or David and Tom, in my case) should add a nice bonus.

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suchet as Dracula? I’ll listen to that, and I love the Dracula story.
888
Unabridged??? Liars; they have cut out the gun toting American for one thing.
It was a little hard to tell what was going on in places.
This was not as good as the Tim Curry version… but it does have Hiddleston rebuffing vampire brides, or attempting to - oh my…

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Hiddleston (Loki) did a great job as Jonathan Harker, and David Suchet was wonderful as Dracula. Although it varies from the source material quite a bit (understandable since it is an audio play of 2 hours and not a direct reading of the book, which takes 17 hours), it was enjoyable.

[anon discard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was not a fan of this retelling, will stick to the classic from now on.

I appreciate how the author melded some characters and relationships for the sake of brevity, however I think too much of the story was lost.

[Madame Reads]

I am so ready for this.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 5 Stars

[Beta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice adaption and great voices.

[Selah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dramatization was masterful, and the actors brilliant, but the actual story? Ugh. So, 5 stars for the dramatization + 1 star for the story averages out to 3 stars.

[Vanita · Rating 2 out of 5]

At least now I can say I baked cookies with Tom Hiddleston (talking in the background). ;-)