OCEAN COUNTY – Dracula rose from his crypt on stage at Ocean County College just in time for the season of Halloween and he’ll be back this weekend.
Dracula’s resurrection is part of the Ocean County College Repertory Theatre Company’s latest production which will run on October 24-26 in the Black Box Theater at the Grunin Center for the Arts, located on the main campus of Ocean County College in Toms River.
This thrilling new adaptation restores the suspense and seduction of Bram Stoker’s classic novel to the stage. As Count Dracula begins to exert his will upon the residents of London, they try to piece together the clues of his appearances in a valiant attempt to save themselves from a hideous fate.
The show debuted on October 17, filled with tension and drama painting a wickedly theatrical portrait of Stoker’s infamous vampire.
The play was written by Steven Dietz and directed by OCC Repertory Theater Company Program Chair Paul Chalakani who spoke with Jersey Shore Online.com about the production.
The director remarked, “Dracula has many iterations over the decades. The most famous was on Broadway and has been in high schools and colleges and community theaters for decades and decades.”
Chalakani added, “OCC did a production of that Dracula 30 plus years ago. This adaptation that we are doing was written in 1995 and this version has never been to Broadway or off Broadway but has been very popular with regional companies and college companies and community theater groups.”
“(The playwright) is faithful to the Bram Stoker novel but it is a streamlined version of the original. It is somewhat refined from the original. It is of course sinister and seductive and alluring. It is also a little heart breaking. Steven Dietz brought a lot of special effects to the show. Some much more than what we can possibly put together but certainly some that have been fun to play with,” he added.
The director noted, “We are trying to keep the horror and macabre, the sensationalism if you will. We are trying to maintain that even in our rather intimate Black Box theater. It is a wonderful cast.”
That cast includes Jeff Bodnar as Count Dracula who is thrilled to return to the theater where he portrayed Salieri in “Amadeus” earlier this year. He recently appeared as Robert in “The Bridges of Madison County” with Ghostlight Players in Staten Island.
Actor Brendan Keffner is also returning to the OCC/REP playing the role of the crazed fly eating Renfield. He also presents an eerie narration at the opening and closing of the play. His previous credits included the OCC/REP productions of “Our Town,” “The Crucible,” “Dr. Frankenstein,” “Amadeus,” and “Deathtrap.”
This marked Hope Kobus’s first performance with the OCC/REP playing the part of Lucy Westenra who falls victim to Dracula’s bloodthirst. When the recent graduate of Belmont University is not on stage, she plays the saxophone with Shorty Long and the Jersey Horns.
Another newcomer to OCC/REP is Charles Sullivan who is playing the important role of Dr. Abraham Van Helsing whose past acting credits include Benjamin Franklin in “1776” and Herr Schultz in “Cabaret.”
Chalakani said, “we have a community company that mixes OCC students with community performers so that way some of our students get an opportunity to act with people who have professional experience which is a wonderful way to have them continue learning.”
“We have our resident scenic designer (George Allison) back who actually wrote the adaptation of (last year’s) “Dr. Frankenstein.” He is doing the set for us. We really have a nice core of people who have worked together a lot,” Chalakani added.
The show times are Friday, October 24, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 25 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, October 26, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $24 for adults and $22 for seniors.
For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit grunincenter.org or call the Grunin Center Box Office at 732-255-0500. This production is made possible through the generous support of the Ocean County College Foundation.
