Dracula

by Kate Hamill

A bit of a feminist revenge fantasy, really
Based loosely on the novel by Bram Stoker

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Vampires, Horror

196 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[emelie!! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assistant Director for this incredible show :)

[Katrina Carlyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

only critique is it should’ve been gayer

[pretzelholic109 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do I hate women?? Maybe

Too much pseudo-“feminism”
Too many “jokes”
Too many pages
Not enough revenge

This story would have flowed much better if Jonathan’s character arc wasn’t dramatized. And if the tone was consistent. But this play was still a lot of fun to read. Some good ideas, and some fun gore. Loved the idea where the costumes are white and everyone’s garments are filthy and bloodstained by the end.

*winks aggressively bc it’s what the playwright would want me to do*

[MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who is Assistant Directing the piece I think it really shines on stage. There are certain elements you won’t get if you don’t look right into the eyes or see the expressions if Renfield. You forget that Van Helsing is a cowgirl unless you see it, she wears her trauma on her heavily. If you have a chance to see it live I highly recommend.

[Kelly Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

"mina i have business in romania love you bye. hope the count doesn't touch my balls."
- xoxo john

"mina he touched my balls hgelp."
- john

(suspicious, ornate, dramatic handwriting) "hi mina it's definitely me johnathan again everything is fine ps when the count touched my balls i liked it"
- john

[zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

"i want to believe that those creatures are parasites; i don't want to think- that it is a natural evolution of the worst parts of human nature. that any- all men could turn dangerous if given too much power."

GIVING THIS A CONTROVERSIAL FIVE STARS. IT'S TOO ME NOT TO LOL. I LOVED THIS "WOKE" DRACULA.

i was worried about what hamill would do with dracula after reading her pride and prejudice again, but i was really down with how on the nose and DARK this was. i didn't entirely mind how much it beat you over the head with "this is a commentary on toxic masculinity" because it IS an important discussion to have. it's uncomfortable, it's quirky (take a shot every time a character screams "daddy"), it's in your face, and it was a really entertaining read. this count truly made my skin crawl, even on paper. i hope he's not played just for laughs when put on stage. unlike other reviews, i thought the dialogue and many of the quotes were fitting for a "feminist revenge fantasy". the ending really left me feeling heavy, but i appreciate that it didn't hold back from embracing the darkness of the message. this should feel heavy, and the trauma within it should be felt.

i will say- i was not entirely on board with how jonathan's arc was portrayed. i can't tell if we got too much of him or not enough. it felt a bit out of place for me, and i honestly hated the fact that the ending alluded to him becoming abusive,...but i get what it's saying thematically and why hamill chose to make the ending tinged with dread. i just love the character so much that it pains me to think that way.

overall, i really enjoyed this. i'm a literary purist when it comes to stoker's dracula, but this was a standout for me. this dracula is truly terrifying for a modern audience.

[Another Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the jokes- it was jarring to flip back and forth between the formal language of the time period and then modern day feeling jokes and slang, but I liked that shake up a lot. Van Helsing was my favourite. Thought provoking but also maybe too spoonfed in its messages. Mind you, the title literally includes "a feminist revenge fantasy" so it's to be expected I guess. I'm a bit conflicted. Glad I read it and would be interested in seeing it staged. Oh also, I felt so bad for Renfield, I wish she had ended up better and the same to Seward's death. It makes sense why each ended the way they did, but boy was it sad.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

big slay, renfield was such a fun character to read (and van helsing even though i completely butchered the texas accent, but whatever). i felt like it could have been a bit more subtle with the messaging? it was a fascinating premise, but maybe a little too obvious in the execution…? either way though, it’s dramatic, bloody and fun so what else do you need

[Castor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The playwright is clearly very talented, but chose to retell a story without delivering on most promises (including the subtitle). Interesting concept with the costumes and several of the characters, but it was not enough to justify a 196 page play that was just 'Dracula' with extra steps.

[tatum]

disappointed that I didn’t like this more… it felt too long and it simultaneously didn’t actually deliver on the promised ‘feminist revenge fantasy’ AND was also too heavy-handed re: feminism. so that was a little weird. would be into seeing it live onstage tho!

[Mackenzie Guthrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I laughed once through the entire play.

[Moira Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love a good Kate Hamill adaptation of a classic.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun feminist romp of a vampire play! There were moments of great humor, gore, and emotion. All together a great read :)

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun take on the text that puts gender swapped characters to use!

[Natalie Sickling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read but... I don't think this is a "feminist revenge fantasy"? Sorry. Maybe its because I never read the original Dracula