The Demon in Synetic's Dracula
Dan Istrate and ensemble. Photo by Graeme B. Shaw.
Synetic Theater's production of Bram Stoker's classic (its second in recent years) plays a little with each of these ideas. The production is visually arresting from the start, with a large, hairy spider encasing the set, and web-like accents in the background, accented with red lighting. Brisk pacing, a suspenseful soundtrack from Synetic stalwart Konstantine Lortkipanidze and engrossing fight choreography all work together to keep the tension heightened throughout.
Synetic productions have stumbled at times when clumsy dialogue gets in the way of the company's largely visual message. Nathan Weinberger's script has a few clunky moments, but the story largely just serves as shorthand, covering the basics and sticking reasonably close to the source material without getting ponderous.
As Dracula, Dan Istrate strikes just the right tone -- he's menacing enough to be actually scary, while still introducing some funny touches (where's his heart located again?) that pay homage to the "Good Eeeevening" cliche of the Count that is hard to erase from memory. He's got a sizzling back-up team in the form of his three wives (Stacey Jackson, Irina Koval and Catalina Lavalle), who slink their way through their scenes, ratcheting up the seductive element of the production. Synetic's marquee player Ben Cunis was absent Sunday night as vampire killer Van Helsing; his understudy Roger Payano proved an able, if not showstopping, replacement.
Irina Tsikurishvili's silky choreography is complemented by Cunis' fight artistry, and the imagery that resonates most occurs during the battle moments. There are the stakes that drive their way through Dracula over and over, just missing the essential organ at each beat. The lilting way the dancers are thrown in and out of battle, tossed aside by the villain almost as if they were rag dolls. Vampires in the age of "Twilight" and "True Blood" may be all about the sexy these days, but the violence, blood and sheer physicality of this production never let us forget the monster underneath.
Dracula runs through Nov. 15 at the Rosslyn Spectrum. Tickets are available online.