Hartford Stage is currently hosting the U.S. premiere of a visceral new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a production that shifts the focus from the vampire’s bloodlust to the psychological mechanics of fear itself. Running through November 1, the play reimagines the 1897 gothic classic as an exploration of how fear is used to control human behavior, specifically targeting the vulnerabilities of women. Connecticut Public reported that the production opens with a meditation on fear as both an innate survival mechanism and a learned tool of social confinement.
Mina Harker takes the lead
In a departure from traditional stagings that center on Count Dracula or Van Helsing, this version by British playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm places Mina Harker at the center of the narrative. Sara Gutierrez, who plays Mina, serves as the story’s narrator and point-of-view character. Mina is presented as a survivor who organizes a hybrid of a theatrical reenactment and a memorial ceremony to share the terrors she witnessed firsthand.
While the original novel’s female characters, Mina and Lucy, are central to the plot’s resolution, they are frequently overshadowed by the male vampire hunters. In this production, Mina is not just a target; she is a compelling, nearly controlling storyteller who directs the action on stage. This shifts away from typical versions featuring leads like Bela Lugosi in the 1930s, Gary Oldman in the 1990s, or Adam Sandler in “Hotel Transylvania 2,” or focusing on Van Helsing.
“I think that’s what’s at the heart of this,” playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm said.
A shapeshifting approach to the monster
One of the most striking elements of the production is the absence of a single actor playing Count Dracula. Because the original text describes Dracula as a shapeshifter, the production avoids branding the vampire with one face. Instead, Dracula exists as a “shadow” or a “presence,” a concept supported by the script’s suggestion that he may even be a figment of the characters’ imaginations. This adheres to the original novel, where Jordan Kistler, a scholar at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, notes Dracula only speaks on 33 pages. He’s quiet, he’s elusive,
Kistler said.
This approach allows a six-person ensemble to play dozens of roles. Only two actors remain in single roles: Sara Gutierrez as Mina and Lucas Dixon as her husband, Jonathan Harker. The rest of the cast, including Scout Backus, who plays Lucy, transforms into various characters throughout the 90-minute performance. Other ensemble members include Pauli, who portrays Van Helsing and others, and Yale School of Drama graduate Caitlin Elizabeth Clouthier.
As a co-founder of the Terrifying Women theater company in the UK, Malcolm has long advocated for horror as a serious art form and specifically seeks to write roles that provide jobs for women to tell stories that have historically been sidelined. Established in 2020 with two other female playwrights, the company creates festivals of one-act horror plays. Malcolm’s other long-form suspense works include the psychological thriller “The Wasp.”
The human cost of gothic horror
While the play is a psychological study, it does not shy away from the gore associated with the vampire myth. The production includes blood, frightening imagery, and simulated gunshots, leading Hartford Stage to recommend the show for audiences aged 14 and up. The physical toll of the story is most evident in the character of Lucy, whose decline serves as a warning to the other characters about the Count’s capabilities.
The “so what” of this adaptation lies in its translation of Victorian anxieties into modern ones. Malcolm argues that the fears Stoker wrote about in 1897—infection, foreign entities, and the policing of gender and sexuality—remain potent today. By framing the story through Mina’s eyes, the play asks the audience to consider who is labeled a “monster” and how the threat of the “other” is used to keep people in their place. The production transforms the tale into an exploration of survival, power, desire, and fear.
Jackson Gay directs high-intensity production with strobe warnings
The production is directed by Jackson Gay, who previously directed “The Mousetrap” at Hartford Stage, and runs for 90 minutes with no intermission. Due to the nature of the staging, the theater has issued warnings regarding the use of strobe lighting, theatrical fog, haze, and loud sound effects. For those planning to attend before the November 1 closing date, the experience is designed to be a high-intensity “experiment in terror.”
