CAPE Town City Ballet’s Dracula, by David Nixon CBE, opened last Friday to a rapturous and lengthy standing ovation. Tickets have already been selling fast enough for two additional performances added to meet overwhelming demand: Sunday 22 March at 2pm and Thursday 26 March at 7pm.
Choreographed and directed by Nixon, Dracula is a welcome departure from the classical ballets that form the most part of CTCB’s programme. It’s based on Bram Stoker’s novel, the operative word being “based”. Even if you know the story, I’m going to pass on the very valuable tip I was given: read the programme before the curtain goes up. It will help you follow the action; I failed to follow the instructions for Act 1, but spent interval studying Act 2 and it made a huge difference.
The production features an all-star cast led by CTCB principal ballerina Kirstél Paterson as Mina, Hannah Ward as Lucy and Leusson Muniz as Dracula, who will be sharing the title role with Zachary Healy, Lihle Mfene and guest artist Jerome Barnes, formerly with Scottish Ballet, due to the physical demands of the role. It’s so much more than dancing; Dracula uses his entire body to convey his other-worldly unnatural nature. Barnes mentions the cloak (cape) in the interview I did with him and it’s used to magnificent effect, as are the props and the set. There is nothing on that stage that doesn’t serve a purpose.
On opening night, we saw the Paterson/Ward/Muniz trio and they were spectacular, ably backed up by the rest of the company in a very male-forward production. Apart from Lucy and Mina, the three brides, and the dancers at the party (there is always a party or a ball in the ballet), there are six men. The numbers balance out if you want to get picky about it but Mina and Lucy are the most prominent, and Dracula’s pas de deux with both of them, one in each act, are breathtakingly superb, and yes, sexy. They remind us that despite the violence, this is a love story.
As I believe it is intended, Dracula is wildly attractive, and vampires are frequently portrayed as such. It’s part of the myth, the legend, and their enduring popularity. Muniz is utterly gorgeous, in appearance and manner, and never mind the blood-sucking and murder, there’s part of us that doesn’t want Van Helsing and his lot to win this battle because the moral conflict is quite actually rather tasty. The dark side is calling…and I am shamelessly on Team Dracula.
“With an extraordinary score, audiences can expect highly physical dancing, gripping drama and striking costumes, and lighting by Faheem Bardien that brings the dark, gothic world of Dracula vividly to life. Packed with pace, intrigue and haunting romance, this is a show not to be missed,” says the PR.
The season ends on 29 March 2026 with tickets are available from Webtickets and the Artscape Box Office on 021 421 7695. No under-12s.
PHOTO CREDIT: Brenda Veldtman
