SLOW PACE DRIVES A STAKE THROUGH 'DRACULA'.Byline: MELISSA HECKSCHER >LA.COM (1) (Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer. A COM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. In his 1897 novel, Bram Stoker begins his infamous tale of aristocratic vampirism vampirism The practice of drinking blood Clinical medicine A quasi-facetious term for excessive blood tests, which causes iatrogenic anemia. See Anemia of investigation Psychiatry A deviant behavior in which blood is ingested, variably accompanied by necrophilia, in the dark and remote Carpathian Mountains Carpathian Mountains Mountain system, eastern Europe. It extends along the Slovakia-Poland border and southward through Ukraine and eastern Romania about 900 mi (1,450 km). Its highest peak, Gerlachovka (in Slovakia), rises 8,711 ft (2,655 m). of Transylvania. , And so it seems only fitting to perform "Dracula" at Topanga's Will Geer Will Geer (born 9 March 1902 in Frankfort, Indiana – died 22 April 1978 in Los Angeles) was an American actor. Geer's real name was William Auge Ghere. He is best known for his portrayal of the character Grandpa Walton, in the popular 1970s TV series Theatricum Botanicum The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, named for the English botanist John Parkinson's herbal, Theatrum Botanicum (1640), is an open-air theater founded in Topanga Canyon, near Santa Monica, California by Will Geer in 1973. , a small amphitheater nestled in a remote stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. and shrouded with a thick enough canopy of trees to provide the perfect measure of darkness, even on a full moonlit moon·lit adj. Lighted by moonlight. moonlit Adjective illuminated by the moon Adj. 1. night. Indeed, with such a ghost story-esque setting, you'd think the 36-person cast would have an easy time invoking a few shivers in their staging of the 19th-century novel. Unfortunately, despite the fact that director Ellen Geer's musical adaptation remains faithful to the novel, the play doesn't quite reach the "spine-tingling" potential promised in the press release. Geer does a good job sticking with Stoker's storytelling formula, which uses a collage of letters, journal entries and newspaper clippings to tell the story. But clocking in at almost three hours and comprising multiple plot lines that don't quite come together until about halfway through, the slow and fragmented pace makes it difficult to brew up the dread you'd expect from the century-old horror story horror story Story intended to elicit a strong feeling of fear. Such tales are of ancient origin and form a substantial part of folk literature. They may feature supernatural elements such as ghosts, witches, or vampires or address more realistic psychological fears. . The saga begins at Castle Dracula, where solicitor Jonathan Harker (Aaron Hendry) has been sent to provide the count with legal council on a real estate deal. Harker quickly realizes something is strange about the count, and no sooner does he try to escape than Dracula leaves Transylvania in a boat bound for London. His ship runs aground a·ground adv. & adj. 1. Onto or on a shore, reef, or the bottom of a body of water: a ship that ran aground; a ship aground offshore. 2. in Whitby, where Harker's fiancee, Mina (Willow Geer), and her best friend, Lucy (Christina Howard), must subsequently fight off Dracula's advances, and where the ancillary Dr. Seward (Mike Peebler), runs an asylum filled with an entertaining assortment of lunatics. The lanky Chad Jason Scheppner plays the count, slinking around the stage, leaping into the trees and crawling castle walls. He's creepy, sure. But it's hard to be afraid of a mustached man in a cape, and one particular scene -- in which Mina is on her knees drinking blood from Dracula's abdomen -- is downright awkward. Not to say it isn't worth the trip. More than anything, "Dracula" is an exercise in ambience. After all, it's fun to see a story about vampires in a place where, if you're lucky, a real live bat may flap its way above the audience. Just don't forget the garlic. Melissa Heckscher, (310) 540-5511, Ext. 329, melissa.heckscher@dailybreeze.com Dracula - Two stars >When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; through Sept. 29. >Where: Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. >Tickets: $20 to $25, $15 to $18 for seniors and students, $8 children 6-12, free for children under 6. (310) 455-3723. www.theatricum.com. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Chad Jason Scheppner plays the title role in "Dracula" at the Wil Geer Theatricum Botanicum. |
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