Adelaide Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 14th March 2013.
Words that describe this Adelaide Festival production: sombre, heavy, ominous, elongated.
A contemporary incarnation of Bram Stokerʼs 1897 novel, Dracula, Nosferatu is set in a European world that is far away from the gothic world of FW Murneuʼs classical 1922 film of the same name.
At times, it was heavy going for the first night audience, but this very contemporary production adapted and directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna was remarkably involving, even though there are surtitles to follow; some very long moments of stillness to move through; and a complex set of character interactions to connect with.
The story revolves around the battle of wills between Dracula (in this production, Nosferatu) and Van Helsing, with the young Lucy caught in the middle as the hapless victim who has her life force . . . and blood . . . sucked out of her. A story that any Twilight fan will recognise instantly.
Underneath though, is a complex layering of what the word vampire stands for: destruction of innocence; competing life forces within; the battle of choice that most of us face on a day to day basis.
The Dunstan Playhouse stage has been converted into a vast room that serves as a dining area; a bedroom; a meeting place; a safe haven. And always the feeling that on the other side of the two curtained arches stage right, a dark force lurks, waiting to invade the sanctuary of the room.
This dark force is amplified nonstop through the production by the music of American avant-garde composer, John Zorn and the sound design of Piotr Dominski. Their creation seeps through every aspect of the production, from the initial extreme loudness of thunder, to the quite whisper of wind, or the call of ravens.
The ten member ensemble works with focus and precision as they move through the one hour and forty-five minute production, and the draining effect is clear at the final bow; a very tired looking group of actors. Maybe it was jet lag. I suspect it was the tension of living through this extremely restrained retelling of the Bram Stoker tale.
Three actors stood out. Sandra Korzeniak as Lucy, a tour de force to bring this central character to life (and eternal death). Cezary Kosinski as Nosferatu, the charismatic neighbour whose presence is omnipresent. Katarzina Warnke as Mina, the other woman who heroically struggles with the dark side.
A review of the production would not be complete without mention of the surtitles, often the bane of audiences. The surtitles were projected across the front of the proscenium arch (for those sitting further back) and upstage centre (for those at the front not wishing to see a chiropractor). They were almost lyrical in their briefness; carried a good degree of humour; and were reader friendly without distracting in any way from the performance below.
The underlying theme of this production? The alternative for swapping everyday contemporary life, however pressured by external forces, is eternal emptiness.
It is a difficult production for an audience that might be accustomed to more pace and movement. Maybe it is too sombre, too heavy, too ominous, and too elongated. But it leaves much to ponder upon once back into the cool of the evening, or walking towards the comforting lights and sounds of Barrio in the Festival Plaza.
Martin Christmas
When: 14 – 17 Mar
Where: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Bookings: www.bass.net.au
