Dracula is a stage play written by the Irish actor and playwright Hamilton Deane in 1924, then revised by the American writer John L. Balderston in 1927. It was the first authorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. The 1931 Dracula film directed by Tod Browning was based on the play. The film was originally intended for Lon Chaney, who would play both the Count and the Professor--a stunt he had performed in several silent films.
After touring in England, the original version of the play appeared at London's Little Theatre in July 1927, where it was seen by the American producer Horace Liveright. Liveright asked Balderston to revise the play for a Broadway production that opened at the Fulton Theatre in October 1927. This production starred Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role.
In the revised story, Abraham Van Helsing investigates the mysterious illness of a young woman, Lucy Seward, with the help of her father and fiancé. He discovers she is the victim of Count Dracula, a powerful vampire who is feeding on her blood. The men follow one of Dracula's servants to the vampire's hiding place, where they kill him with a stake to the heart.
The revised version of the play went on a national tour of the United States and replaced the original version in London. It influenced many subsequent adaptations, including the popular 1931 film adaptation starring Lugosi. A 1977 Broadway revival featured art designs by Edward Gorey and starred Frank Langella. It won the Tony Award for Best Revival and led to another movie version, also starring Langella.
History[]
The Irish author Bram Stoker wrote the novel Dracula while working as a manager for Henry Irving's Lyceum Theatre in London; he continued to work for Irving after it was published in May 1897. Stoker secured his theatrical rights to the story that same month by holding a staged reading at the Lyceum; this hasty adaptation was never performed again. In 1899, Hamilton Deane, a young Irish actor whose family owned an estate next to one belonging to Stoker's father, joined Irving's company. In the early 1920s, after both Irving and Stoker had died, Deane founded his own theatrical troupe, the Hamilton Deane Company. He began working on a theatrical version of Dracula in 1923, and in 1924 he secured the permission of Stoker's widow Florence to stage an authorized adaptation. At the time, Florence Stoker was engaged in a copyright dispute with the German film studio Prana Film over the film Nosferatu, which adapted the plot of Dracula without authorization, and she needed the money from the play royalties. Deane's play was the first dramatization authorized by Stoker's estate.
Raymond Huntley wore his own tuxedo to play Dracula.
Original production[]
To stage the production, Deane was required to submit the completed script to the Lord Chamberlain for a license under the Theatres Act of 1843. The play was censored to limit violence – for example, the count's death could not be shown to the audience – but was approved on 15 May 1924.
Deane's Dracula premiered on 15 May 1924 at the Grand Theatre in Derby, England. Deane had originally intended to play the title role himself but opted for the role of Van Helsing. This production toured England for three years before settling in London, where it opened at the Little Theatre in the Adelphi on 14 February 1927. It later transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre and then the Prince of Wales Theatre to accommodate larger audiences.
Broadway production[]
In 1927 the play was brought to Broadway by producer Horace Liveright, who hired John L. Balderston to revise the script for American audiences. In addition to radically compressing the plot, Balderston reduced the number of significant characters. Lucy Westenra and Mina Murray were combined into a single character, making John Seward Lucy's father and disposing of Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood. In Deane's original version, Quincey was changed to a woman to provide work in the play for more actresses.
Directed by Ira Hards with scenic design by Joseph A. Physioc, Dracula opened on 5 October 1927 at the Fulton Theatre in New York City. It closed on 19 May 1928 after 261 performances. The Broadway production starred Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role; Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing; and Dorothy Peterson as Lucy Seward. Raymond Huntley, who had performed the role of Dracula for four years in England, was engaged by Liveright to star in the U.S. touring production. The national tour began on 17 September 1928 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[1]
Settings[]
The production design of the 1924 adaptation played a crucial role in immersing audiences in the dark and foreboding world of the undead. Elaborate sets evoked the eerie atmosphere of Dracula's castle, while clever use of lighting and sound effects heightened the tension and suspense. From the creaking of floorboards to the howling of wolves in the distance, every element of the stagecraft served to transport viewers to the sinister realm inhabited by the vampire prince.
Critical and Cultural Reception[]
"Dracula" was met with widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences alike. Praise was heaped upon Lugosi's performance, with many lauding his ability to capture the complex nuances of the character. The production's success not only solidified Lugosi's status as a star of the stage but also helped to propel him to international fame.
Beyond its immediate impact on the world of theater, the 1924 adaptation of "Dracula" also left an enduring legacy on popular culture. Lugosi's iconic portrayal of the vampire would go on to inspire countless film adaptations, ensuring that the character would remain firmly entrenched in the public consciousness for generations to come.
| Character | Grand Theatre | Little Theatre | Duke of York's Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Count Dracula | Edmund Blake | Raymond Huntley | Raymond Huntley |
| Abraham van Helsing | Hamilton Deane | Hamilton Deane | Sam Livesey |
| Doctor Seward | Stuart Lomath | Stuart Lomath | Vincent Holman |
| Jonathan Harker | Bernard Guest | Bernard Guest | Stringer Davis |
| Mina Harker | Dora Mary Patrick | Dora Mary Patrick | Dorothy Vernon |
| Quincey P. Morris | Frieda Hearn | Frieda Hearn | Beatrice de Holthoir |
| Lord Godalming | Peter Jackson | Peter Jackson | Peter Jackson |
| R. M. Renfield | G. Malcolm Russell | Bernard Jukes | Bernard Jukes |
| Warder | Jack Howarth | Jack Howarth | W. Johnson |
| Parlourmaid | Kilda MacLeod | Kilda MacLeod | Peggy Livesey |
| Housemaid | Betty Murgatroyd | Betty Murgatroyd | Helen Adam |
| Character | Fulton Theatre | Windsor Theatre | Martin Beck Theatre | Shaftesbury Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count Dracula | Bela Lugosi | Raymond Huntley | Frank Langella | Terence Stamp |
| Lucy Seward | Dorothy Peterson | Margot Lester | Ann Sachs | Rosalind Ayres |
| Abraham van Helsing | Edward Van Sloan | Edward Van Sloan | Jerome Dempsey | Derek Godfrey |
| John Harker | Terence Neill | Terence Neill | Alan Coates | Rupert Frazer |
| Doctor Seward | Herbert Bunston | Herbert Bunston | Dillon Evans | Barrie Cookson |
| R. M. Renfield | Bernard Jukes | Bernard Jukes | Richard Kavanaugh | Nickolas Grace |
| Butterworth | Alfred Frith | Carl Reid | Baxter Harris | Shaun Curry |
| Miss Wells | Nedda Harrigan | Julio Brown | Gretchen Oehler | Marilyn Galsworthy |