All photos (c) Larry Canner Photography (LINK)
BL’s theater department cashed in on fortuitous timing with their fall play selection. Dracula, a 75-minute distillation of Bram Stoker’s iconic Gothic novel, graced the Sheridan stage during Spirit Week. The seniors and assorted adults, including this correspondent, were lucky enough to take in a private showing on Hallowe’en.
This production balanced newcomers and veterans, innovation and tradition in compelling ways. Under Gina Molling’s veteran mentorship, Todd Pearthree made his BL directorial debut. (Although he is new to our stage, Pearthree is hardly a newbie; his massive resume lists more than 200 productions up and down the East Coast.) While Senior Director Eric Heider provided space for accomplished juniors Lee Warnack and Logan Hollins to shine, ninth graders really stole the show. Seth Williams, who credits fellow freshman thespian Brice Grabowski with helping him prepare, was a magnificent, menacing Count Dracula while Forrest Monaghan was manic as his unwilling servant Renfield.
Molling, Pearthree and Heider pulled off some nice effects in the refurbished Sheridan. The sound system was sharp throughout with bursts of thunder and lightning and a wild midnight carriage ride. The lighting, designed and delivered by Jonathan Sembley, helped to create contrasts on the simple set that represented the grounds of a psychiatrist facility in Whitby, England. (Mr. Willett’s minimalist trees prompted BL’s 10th graders to think about Melinda’s artistic obsession in Speak.)
The shifts in time and place were confusing to some audience members, given the fact that the set itself remained constant throughout. If I hadn’t known the basic parameters of the Dracula story, including the narrative frame, I might have been lost myself. But the breakout performances and the technical expertise kept us locked in from start to finish. “I really loved it when Dracula came through those double doors with the smoke machine going,” reported Ryan Kelley ’24, who was very impressed with his first Senior Night viewing. Classmate Reeves Cooke cited an “electronic atmosphere” despite half of the seniors being otherwise engaged that night.
Other aspects of the fast-paced show raised questions. We were easily able to differentiate good from evil, but for some reason the forces of darkness were way more compelling than the voices of reason. On another note, the female roles in the play echo the gender norms of the late Victorian era. But shouldn’t we give the young female actors, who are clearly willing to work outside their comfort zones, more to do than scream, faint, and assist the more powerful male figures? We would be remiss not to mention that Francesca Santelises as Mina, Bee Sadovnik as Hostess, and Sophie Layne as Agatha executed well with what they were given.
“Every fact and medical diagnosis was once considered outlandish and heretical,” opined a confident Professor Van Helsing (Lee Warnack), as he marshaled Dr. Seward (Logan Hollins) and company to combat the Count. Teamwork made the dream work, or at least it resolved the nightmare. But Dracula himself had the last laugh. This “beast of our primitive past” showed his resilience, and some feisty newcomers showed their relevance, in this successful debut of the new and improved Sheridan Theater.
The Inkwell 