FROM 28 October 2026, Artscape Theatre becomes a world of shadows, seduction and the supernatural as David Nixon CBE’s acclaimed Dracula returns to the stage, presented by Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) and featuring an all-star cast led by leading principals Kirstél Paterson and Leusson Muniz.
Nixon’s Dracula is a darkly theatrical collision of dance, music, design and gothic storytelling, an intoxicating invitation into a world where passion, danger and the macabre intertwine. Nixon’s choreography pushes the classical genre into more visceral territory, combining raw physicality, sensuality and intensity with the precision and grace of this exquisite art form.
Critics were effusive in their reviews of the South African premiere earlier this year, describing the production as a “grown-up ballet-noir” (Keith Bain, Daily Maverick), “deliciously dark” (Bianca Coleman, Eat.Play.Drink.Cape Town), “utterly seductive” (Barbara Loots, Theatre Scene Cape Town), and Die Burger’s review by Nadia Swart led with the headline “Dracula slaan sy tande by Kunstekaap in”.
Set to a stirring score and brought to life through minimalist staging, evocative lighting, period costumes and striking set design, every element draws audiences deeper into Dracula’s shadowy world. For those drawn to the mysterious and macabre, Dracula offers an enticing escape from the ordinary and an invitation to surrender to the dark side.
PHOTO CREDIT: Brenda Veldtman
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