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SCENE IT: Visceral DRACULA delights with dark ballet allure
- Mar 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 18
Barbara Loots
DRACULA is the acclaimed ballet created by David Nixon CBE as a gothic full length adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. With the tagline "love eternal, love infernal", it has all the dramatic alure one wishes for when you think of Stoker’s most beloved character, a seducer like no other. This production draws one in like a moth to a flame.
Nixon first created his version of DRACULA in 1999. It retains the elevated technique and skill one associates with classical ballets but also pushes the limits in incorporating modern (at times almost jarring) movements and elevating the physicality of performance for the characters of Dracula and Renfield. The choreography is electrifying in channelling the tension that underpins Stoker’s tale.
When I first read that Nixon was doing a bespoke staging of his acclaimed DRACULA for Cape Town City Ballet I must admit a fear did take root that we would be in for another localised show (something like “Dracula in Cape Town”) to silently suffer through. Happily, this fear did not realise, as Nixon beautifully sets his ballet in the period that Stoker would approve for his original vision.
Nixon as choreographer is not only the director of this latest staging, but also responsible for the set, stage and costume design, which collectively elevates this production to a professional standard that is both beautiful in execution and theatrically enticing.
DRACULA is gloriously filmic in its vision and execution. It has the trick-of-the-eye elements that you wish for when seeing the story of the world’s most famous vampire unfolding, live in front of your eyes. As my plus one on opening night noted, Nixon cleverly draws from the vision of directors like F.W. Murnau, Tod Browning, Terence Fisher and Francis Ford Coppola, yet still manages to do this without it becoming a mere imitation. The production reflects a true respect for the horror genre.
Performance wise it is also refreshing to see a Cape Town City Ballet production where the male dancers properly stake a claim in terms of character prominence – so often most of them feel simply added into the mix for pas de deux partner strength purposes. With DRACULA this is not the case at all, and they fully embrace the opportunity to showcase their versatility.
The undeniable star of the show is the phenomenal Leusson Muniz who embodies the character of Dracula with enigmatic energy. His presence (even when not central to a scene) reverberates throughout with subtle hints and movements, and even great comedic timing. Hannah Ward as young fledgling vampire Lucy is similarly brilliant, and she has a great rapport with Muniz. Together they significantly up the seductive drama; their performances are fire. The casting overall is exceptional. Nixon’s choice of Kristél Paterson for Mina is inspired, as her natural reservedness plays well at the beginning (in juxtaposition to Ward’s more risqué Lucy), and makes the ultimate payoff of her breaking through her walls when she succumbs to Dracula all the more rewarding from a performance perspective.
Fanelo Ndweni (Harker, Dracula’s lawyer and Mina’s suitor), Jerome Barnes (Arthur, Lucy’s fiancé), Zachary Healy (Seward, Lucy’s rejected suitor), and Axton Green (Van Helsing) together carry the drama of betrayal, heartbreak and the hunt with great effect – together they make for very entertaining ballet.
Another stand-out performance is that of Luke Wragg as Renfield. He is absolutely fantastic as the “peculiar” patient that Healy as Seward engages with in the Sanitorium. Wragg’s performance is captivating and demands your attention.
DRACULA is so utterly seductive in its perfect melding of horror and romance that I would happily watch it a few times over. Set to a hauntingly beautiful score featuring music by Schnittke, Pärt, Rachmaninoff and Daugherty, every aspect of this production is intentional and considered.
It does not shy away from packing the punches. When Van Helsing leads the hunt for Lucy, many productions would stop short of incorporating anything that may be too graphic. What a breath of fresh air that Nixon did not shy away from the full DRACULA experience, including Lucy’s beheading. Stopping short would have been a cruel entertainment injustice. DRACULA is a triumph!
David Nixon’s DRACULA, presented by Cape Town City Ballet, is onstage at the Artscape Theatre until 29 March 2026. Tickets can be booked online through Webtickets. Please note the production carries an age restriction of 12.