Review: Dynamic and enthralling: A review of Kip Williams’s Dracula, featuring Cynthia Erivo (by Rebecca Greef)

Dracula, writ. and dir. by Kip Williams, Noel Coward Theatre, London. Review by Rebecca Greef

Recently I got to experience Cynthia Erivo’s enthralling performance in Kip Williams’s Dracula stage show. In the one-woman show, Erivo uses costumes, clever camera work, and some pre-recorded dialogue to play every character from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. From Johnathan Harker to the Count himself, Erivo dramatises the personalities and peculiarities of Stoker’s eclectic cast to tell us Stoker’s story.

The atmosphere was dark and mysterious, with some intriguing staging choices in places bringing a mix of modern technology and old-time theatre. The use of on-stage camera operators initially felt intrusive, but it took no time at all for them to seamlessly blend into the show, and they more than deserved their own bows at the end. The way Erivo interacted with the pre-recorded sections was mainly via a large screen that overlayed her live performance with the footage. Sometimes it was difficult to not just watch the screen, and I made sure to focus on Erivo herself whenever possible! The use of costume to differentiate characters was useful, with Erivo using accent and body language well to distinguish each role. As someone who recently re-read the book, I found it relatively easy to follow along, but my partner, who hasn’t read it, found some of the story confusing because of the single actor. Their costumes and mannerisms added humour in places, with Van Helsing strongly reminding me of Ian McKellen’s Gandalf.

I found the first third (mainly Johnathan Harker’s increasingly paranoid journals) a little rushed. Erivo’s delivery was flawless, but it definitely felt like an audiobook kicked up to 1.5x speed at times. As soon as further characters entered, the pace slowed and the show was easier to follow! Cynthia Erivo’s small snippet of singing was so strong, and a testament to her musical skill as well as her acting. As a Wicked fan myself, it added a sensational layer to the performance for audience members that may only know her from those films. It also validated my day of singing ‘Drac-ula, we’re going to see Drac-u-laaaa’ to the tune of ‘Popular’ . . . The ending was beautifully staged, raising the tension slowly and holding you captivated until the last moment.

I’ve not seen any other stage versions of Dracula, but I think this performance stands strong as a representation of what Dracula can be: far removed from Hamilton Deane’s 1924 Derby production, but iconic in its own way. It was also fun to see OGOM’s very own Dr Sam George’s contributions to the show programme in the flesh! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and Cynthia Erivo’s performance. I appreciated the quirky nature of the staging with some moments that will definitely be my new defining version of events in the story.

Kip Williams’s Dracula is being shown at the Noel Coward Theatre in London until 30May 2026.

Rebecca Greef is a doctoral student in Literature at the University of Hertfordshire. Her thesis, ‘Deals with the Devil: The Faustian bargain and its role in Young Adult fiction’ focuses on the Faustian bargain trope in Young Adult fiction, new adult fiction, and the Gothic.